Pokemon : Journey to be a Champion
by MaxSlayer
Summary: A single event in history changes the course of the entire future. Follow Ash after he takes an advice from a long time rival and now friend on his journey to rise above all. He is gonna face some tough challenges, will make new friends, meet some legends and hopefully capture some & might even manage to fall in love as he grows up
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: A LESSON LEARNED

He couldn't belive it.

A multitude of emotions ran through his mind. Anger at being defeated, disappointment at the fact that it had been so easy for his opponent. However, the most prominent one on his face was that one of shock.

Ash Ketchum didn't pay attention as his opponent, Gary Oak, grandson of the renowned Pokémon Professor, Samuel Oak, and a brilliant researcher in his own right, recalled his Electivire into its Pokéball and started walking towards the center of the small clearing that they had chosen as their makeshift battlefield

The shock quickly turned into self-procrastination as various thoughts churned within his mind.

'How did he defeat me so easily?' The young trainer thought. 'He defeated Pikachu as though he was nothing. Wasn't Pikachu strong enough?' He immediately discarded this thought with an internal scoff. 'Of course he is. He defeated Brandon's Regice just a week ago. This means he is a strong Pokémon. So why was he defeated so easily.'

His thoughts were answered from the all too familiar voice of his childhood rival turned friend, "You were overconfident Ash."

The suddenness of the voice made him jump abruptly, as he finally noticed Gary standing in front of him, his hands cradling his injured Pikachu. He was all the more shocked to see that instead of the infuriating smirk that he thought would see on his face, it had an expression of complete seriousness that he hadn't ever seen on his rival before.

The shock quickly receded, as he gingerly took Pikachu from him, followed by a super potion that Gary handed to him. He sprayed the potion almost mechanically on the Pokémon, grimacing as the small mouse Pokémon hissed before the potion started having its effect and healing the more severe wounds marring its body.

As the expression on the asleep Pokémon's face changed from a grimace to a more peaceful one, Gary's words registered the youngest Battle Frontier winner.

"What do you mean by that Gary?" he spoke, an undertone of anger evident in his voice.

Gary, having noticed this, decided to not pay any attention to it. "You heard what I said Ketchum. I said you were overconfident. You thought that just because Pikachu had defeated a Legendary a week ago, he could take on any other Pokémon easily. When I released Electivire you had shown some apprehension at seeing a new Pokémon, yet as soon as the battle began, you completely disregarded everything and started using attacks in the hope of simply overpowering me."

"You got flustered when your attacks were not causing Electivire any harm and soon abandoned any form of plan you may have had and started calling out your powerful moves hoping that they would hit."

Ash looked towards Gary, anger evident in his face, to reply to his speculations. But the seriousness on the young Researcher's face simply made him keep quiet. Gary placed his bag on the ground and sat down on the ground, his elbows supporting his upper body and motioned for Ash to do the same. Not hesitating, Ash sat in a similar manner, with Pikachu on his lap, sleeping soundly.

"You know Ash," Gary continued, "Ever since you defeated me in Johto, I knew that you were a better trainer than I could ever be. I have even followed your battles ever since then."

Seeing the questioning and perplexed look on his face, Gary elaborated, "As your sponsor, Gramps has the option to get videos of your official gym matches or any League battles from the League. I had asked him to simply send me those whenever possible. Even your mom gets them from him."

"You mean Mom has watched every one of my matches?" Ash asked, astonished at the fact.

"Only the official gym matches, the tournaments and the entire Battle Frontier, since they are League sanctioned."

Ash nodded his head, indicating Gary to continue.

"You see, every battle that I have seen you fight, either win or lose, I have noticed a few things. In fact even Gramps noticed them. When I asked him why he didn't point it out to you, he simply answered that while he is your sponsor, he doesn't want you to be over-reliant on others. He wanted to see those flaws for yourself and fix those weaknesses yourself. He wants you to grow into the kind of trainer all of us in this town know you can be."

Ash, who was still not over the fact that his rival and his mother had seen every one of his official battles, was overwhelmed by the words if his friend.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, the undercurrent of anger still not abated completely.

Gary sighed at the childlike behavior of his friend. "Ash…" he began, the slight annoyance not missed by the black haired trainer, "When someone is trying to give you some advice, you must first listen to that person before flying off the handle. Most of the times it is for your own good."

The remaining anger quickly receded from Ash's face, as he scratched his cheek somewhat sheepishly, and muttered a quick "sorry!"

Seeing that his friend had calmed down, Gary spoke once again, "Gramps was okay with you finding your weaknesses yourself, however I do not think that is right for you. We both know you have the capability to achieve much more than the top eight of the tournaments and therefore I told him what I was going to do today."

"You mean Professor Oak knows about this battle?" Ash asked, perplexed.

"Yes" Gary nodded, "and while he thinks it unwise, he fully supports me. However, he warned me that this is the last time I can directly help you."

Seeing him nod at this he continued, "Now, what I am about to say may be somewhat hurtful to you Ash. You may even get furious at me because of that. But I want to get past that anger and think what I say. You must understand that everyone wants you to be the best Pokémon trainer and accomplish your dream, just like you helped me find mine."

Ash nodded, "I'll listen to what you have to say Gary, don't worry."

"Good." Gary said, before getting up and changing to a cross-legged sitting position, prompting Ash to do the same. "The biggest problem that we, Gramps and I, have seen is that you get overconfident too easily. Every new region you go, you straight out challenge the gym in whichever city you visit. You don't research the leader, his preferred Pokémon or even which type Pokémon they use. Moreover, when you defeat a few gyms in a row, you start thinking yourself undefeatable. It is only when you lose a battle that you give serious consideration to what you should have done and what you need to defeat the person."

Ash simply nodded, knowing most of this to be true.

"The same thing happens to you in the tournaments. In Johto, when you defeated me you, you became overconfident there. I don't know if you know or not, but the League shows other trainers the list of Pokémon another trainer has used throughout the tournament. Had you used that to at least get an anticipation of the Pokémon your opponent had, you could have won the Conference."

Ash, as though struck by the words could only gape at Gary, who looked like he was on a steamroll. "The same thing happened in Hoenn. Had you checked Tyson's Pokémon, you could have prepared beforehand that match. And that was one Tournament that you would have won had you defeated him."

The young Pokémon Researcher took a deep breath and looked at Ash, who seemed to be in deep thought. And indeed, Ash was thinking back to all the instances that he had lost an official match. The various gym leaders and trainers who had defeated him. What felt like hours to him, but was in fact just a few seconds later, he truly saw the truth in Gary's words. He realized how, he was more successful whenever he planned for an opponent rather than when he simply ran headlong into a match without any plan.

Gary, seeing that Ash was listening like he said he would, decided to continue. "Ash… how do you train your Pokémon?" he asked.

Seeing the confused expression on Ash's face, he elaborated, "I mean, how you train your Pokémon? What training regimen you use? When you decide to teach them a new move and all that?"

Seeing the thoughtful look on his friend's face, Gary sighed, wanting nothing more than to rub his temples in irritation. Not getting an answer, he took a deep breath. "Do you know that just to reach the level I was at, during the Silver Conference, I had to train my Pokémon almost on a daily basis, regularly teaching them new moves, increasing their move pool, upgrading their old moves with more powerful ones?"

"The few times that I have talked to Brock, he tells me how often you guys run into those three Team Rocket members and how most of the times it is Pikachu himself who gets rid of them. Don't you see how that is making him one of your most powerful Pokémon? Take your Charizard as well. Isn't he constantly training in the Chartcific Valley?" Getting a mute nod from the trainer, he continued, "So…Don't you see how much training on a daily basis benefits your Pokémon's strength?"

Seeing the affronted look on his face, Gary got confused for a moment before he realized how it looked to Ash. He sighed, "Ash… I'm not saying that the rest of your Pokémon are weak. What I'm saying is that if you train them, each of your Pokémon can reach the level at which you're Pikachu and Charizard are at, maybe even exceed that."

Looking towards the sky, he spoke, "You know, whenever I see you and your Pokémon, be it in the Ranch or in the battles, I can't help but feel jealous. The level of devotion and love that you and your Pokémon show towards each other is something that is seen only in the Elite Four and the Champions, even Gramps agrees on that."

Ash couldn't help but feel proud of that. He always cherished the bonds he had with his Pokémon. They were more important to him than anything in his life, bar his mom.

"Then why did you abandon them?"

 **A/N:- THIS STORY IS ADOPTED FROM PREDATOR216. IT WILL HAVE ALL ITS CHAPTER AND I WILL CONTINUE FURTURE. EACH CHAPTER IS BROKEN DOWN INTO 2-3 CHAPTERS. EXPECT ANOTHER ONE IN A WEEK. CYO!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER 2 – Thoughts & Surprise**_

 _PREVIOUSLY :-_

 _Ash's thoughts were brought to a screeching halt as Gary spoke these words. He looked towards Gary, a look of fury marring his face. Gary, however, seemed unaffected by this and continued, "So why did you abandon them? Why not take them on your journey? Had they not done enough for you?"_

 _ **NOW :-**_

"I wanted to have a new beginning in whatever region I went. They understood that." Ash grinded out.

"Of course they'd understand." Gary spoke slowly, as though talking to a baby. "They are your Pokémon. They are supposed to understand. But did you never feel how bad they must have felt when all the sweat and tears that they shed getting stronger for their trainer, suddenly went down the drain just because said trainer wanted a new beginning?"

"I have way more Pokémon than you, still I rotate them so that I can get in touch with most of them. Did you know that anyone who has accomplished as much as we have can get their maximum carrying capacity increased?"

Seeing his bewildered expression, Gary shook his head. "Of course you don't. You didn't even bother asking Gramps if it could be extended. Had you done so, he would've easily done that. You just decided to forget everything you learned on getting a "new beginning"."

"When was the last time you used Tauros, or you Kingler or even Muk? Most of your Pokémon train by themselves thinking that someday you'd use them and they don't want to disappoint you. So tell me this, why completely disregard all your other Pokémon and focus on your newest ones?"

Ash, despite his anger, processed what Gary had spoken. Soon, he couldn't help but feel guilty at how badly he had treated his Pokémon, almost abandoning them in the way Charizard was abandoned as a Charmander by his trainer. The thought of his Pokémon brought a sting of pain to Ash's troubled mind. He had neglected to train many of his older Pokémon for quite a while now. He hadn't used some of his Kanto Pokémon for years. Then there were the ones he caught from the other regions. He could have rotated his team like Gary said, but he didn't. Why? Did he unconsciously want to cut off all the links to the regions that presented him failure?

This thought very much upset Ash. He cared for his Pokémon, he really did. But he ignored many of them for a long time. How could he call himself a trainer? What did his old friends think of him now? Would they forgive him? Had they forgotten him, like he had forgotten to train them? Sure, he had spent some time with them after his return, but he didn't accomplish any serious training.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see his rival turned friend looking down at him.

"Ash, I know people say that becoming a Pokémon Master is next to impossible."

And truly, it was considered an impossibility by a majority of people across the regions. A trainer would have to win the tournaments of at least five regions, followed by defeating the Elite Four of each of those regions as well as the Regional Champion. And even then, you had to be sanctioned by the League chairman to get a Master's license. It was for this particular reason there hadn't been a Pokémon Master till date.

"- But I do know that if you try really hard and work with your Pokémon in a similar manner, then you can get there. You have the skill, the dedication and the love of your Pokémon, who are ready to go that extra mile just for you. Now, you only need to do what you should have done as a trainer and instead of having a new beginning, learn from your previous mistakes and rectify them."

By the end of the monologue, Pikachu had woken up from his exhaustion induced sleep. His first instinct, knowing his trainer, was to assure his how it wasn't his fault that he lost and that he shouldn't be depressed. This plan was derailed as soon as he heard his trainer's friend talk instead. He was initially confused what he was talking about, but somewhat understood what Gary was talking about.

Ash turned his attention to the now awake Pikachu, "Hey buddy. You awake? How are you feeling?"

"Pi Pika Chu." The small mouse Pokémon replied with a smile. The smile however was somewhat subdued as he thought of how easily he was defeated.

Ash immediately caught on to his starter's demeanor. "Don't be like that Pikachu. I should've known better than to get cocky after we beat Brandon. Look where that got us." Ash's eyes mirrored his sorrow. "I'm sorry you had to get hurt like that, Pikachu."

Pikachu shook his head emphatically, refusing to admit that the loss was his trainer's fault. "Pika pi! Pikachu pika pi pika!" Pikachu pointed to himself, as if to say that it was his fault, not Ash's.

"How can it be your fault?" Ash asked incredulously. "Don't be silly. You did your best, and that's all I could ask for. You trusted me with the strategy and did exactly like I told you to. But since I was so sure we'd win, I didn't think things through. I made some stupid mistakes. This loss is entirely my fault." Pikachu opened his mouth to protest again, but Ash cut him off. "I know you mean well Pikachu, but there's no way around it. Don't beat yourself up over this battle. I made the mistakes, not you." He said in a tone leaving no room for argument.

Pikachu made a face, clearly dissatisfied with his trainer's decision to blame himself. "Pii Pikachu." he muttered.

Ash shook his head at his Pokémon's stubbornness and rubbed the back of his head, gaining a 'Chaa' from his starter. He stood up, taking care to not cause any kind of pain to his starter. Gary watched the entire scene with an amused glint in his eyes.

"You know, this is what I was talking about." He said, indicating at them. "This, this is the thing that I was talking about earlier. Pikachu is sad not because he was defeated, but because you lost the match. And the level of care that you guys show for each other is something that decades to achieve."

Picking up his bag, Gary moved away from the duo, "Anyways, what was your plan for the future?"

Ash looked at Pikachu, who had by now taken his customary place at his shoulder, before shrugging, "I don't know really. I hadn't decided actually. Seeing your Electivire, I think I will go to Sinnoh next and compete in the tournament."

"Then I think I'm going to give you one final suggestion." Seeing that he had the trainer and Pokémon's attention, he continued, "The Conference for Sinnoh begins in four months. And while I know that you can qualify for it, it will be extremely tough. Moreover, you would be neither catch that many Pokémon, nor train them appropriately."

"Essentially, what I'm saying is that use these four months to train your existing Pokémon as much as you can. Learn as much as you can about Pokémon, and still continue learning after that. Gramps told me how you were over-relying on Brock all this time for Pokémon knowledge. But he won't always be there for you. Eventually, you will have to learn to rely on yourself."

"Thanks Gary." Ash spoke with conviction. "Do you think that on the way you could tell Professor to inform mom that I'll be out for a while?" Seeing his rival's questioning gaze, he elaborated, "I need to take some time to think over what you said."

Gary shook his head in exasperation. "All right, Ashy boy." He spoke with an all too familiar smirk, "I'll inform Gramps, but don't take too much time. Smell ya later."

Ash couldn't help but smile at familiar tone of his friend. Truth be told, the tone he was using during the entire conversation had been creeping him out a bit.

"See you later, Gary."

"Pi pika pi."

Both of them waved Gary off before turning towards each other.

"You know buddy" Ash began, "I really need to think about what Gary told me." Seeing his friend's questioning look, he spoke further. "You were asleep at that time. By the way, how are you feeling? You alright?"

"Pi Pika Pi." Pikachu shrugged, the worst of the injuries having already been healed with the super potion, while his sleep healed the remaining injuries.

"Good to hear that bud." Ash spoke, relief evident in his voice. As he moved into the forest, he spoke, "Gary told me about my mistakes and it made me truly realize that I have been truly winging it all this while. I have been way too dependent on others and apart from battling I have very limited knowledge about you guys."

His expression became more pensive as he thought about his Pokémon. "Moreover, I basically abandoned most of you guys."

"Pika?" the mouse Pokémon shouted, perplexed at the last comment.

"It's true bud." He spoke, with a somewhat pained expression. "I never trained you guys personally unless it was absolutely necessary. I didn't pay attention to many of you guys unless I required your help. Every time I go to a new region, I never bring anyone but you, I don't even tell the others that I am going to use them in a fight or not. They train so much, just for me, and I never even pay attention to them."

Pikachu, stumped at his trainer's words, could do nothing but sit on his shoulder and hear his trainer berate himself. Frankly, Pikachu had been wondering when Ash would come to this realization. He knew that Ash wasn't purposefully neglecting them. He never brought this up because he trusted Ash to realize it sooner or later. He didn't want to give Ash the impression that he was being reprimanded by his own Pokémon.

However, that didn't mean that he was going to let his trainer wallow in self-pity. So, he did the only thing he could.

The good old Thundershock.

Ash was thrown out of his musings, courtesy of a minor Thundershock from Pikachu. He stood there twitching for a few moments before his body functions returned back to normal, having grown accustomed to Pikachu's electric shocks. He turned his attention towards his companion.

"Thanks for that bud. I know I can't start wallowing in self-pity. I just can't help but feel bad that I was so bad to our other friends. Anyhow, I now know I have done many things wrong so far and the only thing now I can do is rectify them."

Pikachu nodded, happy that his human had finally started to show the determination that he had always shown and not started acting like and emo. It even sparked determination in the mouse Pokémon, something which was not present ever since the morning.

Ash continued, his voice laden with determination, "For the next four months, I will do everything I can to make up to you guys. And then, together, we will conquer Sinnoh and the Championship."

"Pi Pika Pi." Pikachu added, an equal amount of determination on his face.

They stood there, facing each other, poses matching, with the resolve to conquer the Sinnoh league, nothing stopping them. However, nature seemed to be against them, as out of nowhere the heavens erupted, bringing with them a downpour of rain that drenched them within moments.

Ash immediately scooped up Pikachu and ran further into the forest, intent on finding a safe haven from the rain. They ran for the next several minutes, hope slowly diminishing, before they reached the face of a cliff. On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu's ears twitched as he looked in a certain direction. His eyes twinkled in happiness, apparently at having found something. He quickly jumped from his trainer's shoulder, gaining an exclamation of 'HEY' from the fully soaked trainer.

As soon as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder, Ash followed him knowing that there had to be an explanation for the sudden action of his Pokémon. He moved towards the cliff, and only then did he notice what his friend was running towards. The cliff had some kind of plant on it, the long leaves of which covered almost half of its face. However, his attention went towards the ground where Pikachu suddenly disappeared into the think foliage.

A look of understanding came upon Ash's face as he realized that his friend had found a place to weather this sudden rainstorm. However, as he moved towards the most likely cave, this turned into one of dread as Pikachu darted out of the foliage, a look of panic on his face. He tugged at Ash's pants, pointing towards the cave.

"What happened bud? Is someone in there?" Ash asked, concern marring his voice.

"Pi Pikachu. Pi pika pi." Pikachu nodded, and ran back into the foliage.

Ash, knowing that his starter wanted to follow him, went after him. As he reached the cliff, he pushed some of the bushes aside, and was not surprised to find a crevice. What surprised him, though, was the size of it. It was small, its width just enough for his lithe body to enter it. And even that was going to be a tight squeeze.

As he squeezed his way into the crevice, he heard the panicked voice of Pikachu, making him focus even more in helping whosoever was hidden in the most likely cave. After what felt like hours of squeezing, but was in fact just several seconds, he finally emerged from the crevice, the sudden darkness taking him by surprise.

His eyesight quickly got accustomed to the darkness, the small amount of light coming from the crevice helping him. He quickly in the direction where he heard Pikachu's voice come from, only to see him desperately trying to shake a figure.

"Pikachu?" he asked, gaining the attention of the Pokémon. "Who is there bud?" He moved forward to see who the person or Pokémon was, but stopped short as Pikachu moved aside, some amount of light deciding to filter into the cave at that exact moment, making the figure clear to his eyes.

And what, or rather who, he saw turned his eyes wide with disbelief and astonishment. Lying on the ground, most probably asleep, was a Pokémon.

It was a blue qilin-like creature, with white diamond-shaped spots and a white underside. It had a purple cape that resembled flowing river and two white streamer-like tails. It also had a hexagonal, aquamarine-colored crest on its forehead, a protrusion on the underside of its chin and small paws, the paws having a small white oval on their undersides.

Ash remembered the Pokémon. How could he not? After all, this was the first Pokémon that he had encountered when he had entered the Johto region. He remembered how he had been mesmerized when he had first seen the Legendary, standing in the middle of the lake. Of course he would remember…

"Suicune."


	3. Chapter 3

_**CHAPTER 3 – REDEMPTIONS**_

 _Previously :-_

 _And what, or rather who, he saw turned his eyes wide with disbelief and astonishment. Lying on the ground, most probably asleep, was a Pokémon._

 _It was a blue qilin-like creature, with white diamond-shaped spots and a white underside. It had a purple cape that resembled flowing river and two white streamer-like tails. It also had a hexagonal, aquamarine-colored crest on its forehead, a protrusion on the underside of its chin and small paws, the paws having a small white oval on their undersides._

 _Ash remembered the Pokémon. How could he not? After all, this was the first Pokémon that he had encountered when he had entered the Johto region. He remembered how he had been mesmerized when he had first seen the Legendary, standing in the middle of the lake. Of course he would remember…_

 _"Suicune."_

 **NOW :-**

Ash spoke the name in reverence, knowing that being a Legendary it almost commanded respect. His awe immediately vanished when he saw Pikachu pointing at the resting Pokémon.

"Pika pi! Pikachu chu pika pi pika." The panicked voice made alarm bells ring in Ash's head, as he quickly made his way towards the sleeping Pokémon. He was all the more surprised to see that the downed Pokémon didn't make any movement at his approach.

The pit in his stomach deepened when he reached close enough to see the state the Pokémon was in. It's usually blue hide was marred with several burns, similar to those caused by Pikachu's attacks, making it clear that it was harmed by several electric attacks. Further, it was huffing very quickly, indicating that it was almost out of energy.

Ash didn't know what could have caused Suicune such harm, having already seen the Legendary in action, already knowing the strength of the water Legend. It didn't matter to him though. A Pokémon was hurt and he'd be damned if he didn't help it.

As he made to sit down beside the downed Pokémon, Pikachu jumped on his shoulder, as though giving his place to his trainer.

"CHAA!" Pikachu cooed in happiness, as Ash rubbed the Pokémon under his chin.

"Great job Pikachu." He spoke, "You did a good job finding Suicune. Do you know how she got so injured?"

Pikachu shrugged, not knowing the answer to the one question that perplexed even him.

Getting his answer, Ash turned his attention back to the Legendary to check for any further injuries and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw none visible. He then cursed at the fact that he had forgotten to bring his pack or any kind of potion.

He went to pet the Legend, but stopped when suddenly it opened its eyes, its red irises boring into his amber colored ones. Suicune growled, though Ash assumed it was due to its close proximity from the trainer. Ash quickly got up and took a couple of steps back, arms extended in a placating manner.

Suicune tried to get up and away from the unknown trainer, but failed and cried out in pain as it collapsed. However, it still glared at Ash, almost as if challenging him to do something.

"Suicune, I know you are injured and don't want to trust a trainer. But I promise you that I mean you no harm." He spoke, Pikachu nodding his head. "You remember me, don't you? I met you a few years ago in the Johto region. We even helped you fight those idiots from Team Rocket."

"Pi Pika Pi Pikachu." Pikachu added, trying to get the legend to remember the incident.

The growl from Suicune lessened a bit as it focused on the Pokémon trainer, as though scrutinizing him. A few seconds later, its eyes widened for a second, most likely in recognition, before it sighed in relief and collapsed completely, its eyes replaced with swirls, signifying that it had fainted.

"SUICUNE! / PIKA PI!"

Ash and Pikachu shouted as soon as they saw the Pokémon faint, and quickly ran towards it. Ash, having seen it cry out in pain when it favored a foot, understood that it had somehow hurt its feet.

"Bud." He spoke, getting Pikachu's attention, "Did you see what I see?"

Pikachu looked a bit confused, so Ash decided to explain, "When it favored a feet, it cried out in pain. It means it most probably has hurt its legs. And there is no way I can heal it by myself. So, the only thing we can do right now is wait for it to wake up so we can take it to Professor Oak's to heal it."

"Besides, with the rain, it seems that we are going to stay here for a while." He continued, before he made way behind the asleep Pokémon and leaned against the wall of the cave. He gingerly took the head of the sleeping Pokémon and placed it on his lap, the heavy head not affecting him that much. Running his hands through the Pokémon's head, he gained a soft mewl from it, making both Ash and Pikachu realize that the injured Pokémon had started healing from its injuries.

A soft smile came upon Ash's face, one that was returned by his starter. "You know bud, it's nice that Suicune is here." As he closed his eyes and leaned towards the wall, he continued, "the last time we saw it when we started our Johto journey. And now that we have seen it once again, it is when I have decided to give my journey another beginning. I can't help but feel that it is somehow a good sign."

Pikachu nodded, before yawning loudly, and nuzzled into his partner's side, letting sleep take him into its warm embrace. Ash smiled, before he too let sleep take over him. However, before he fell asleep, another thought ran through his mind.

'Yes, a new beginning. But this time with the help of all my friends. And family.'

 **XXXXXXXXX**

The shaking of his body brought the young trainer from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and extended his arms, and was surprised to find his neck and back quite sore. As he opened his eyes, it took him a few moments to get used to the darkness. Feeling an unknown weight on his lap, he looked down, only for his eyes to widen when he saw Suicune's red irises boring into his amber colored ones.

As a whole, the memory of the entire day and the incidents came back to him. Unbidden, a smile came to his face, as one hand started stroking the Legend while his other went to his starter's head, getting a loud 'CHAA' from the Pokémon.

His ministrations seemed to have a good effect on the Aurora Pokémon, as it leaned into his hand. He gave the Pokémon a once over and was delighted to see that most of the electric burns had been healed. However, he was still unsure about the damage that its leg had received.

"Hey Suicune…" he began, getting the Pokémon's attention, "You feeling alright?" Getting a nod in reply, he continued, "I saw that you had an injury in your leg. Is that all right?"

In reply, Suicune tried to get up, but cried out in pain and collapsed as soon as put some pressure on its leg. Before it could fall down however, the trainer quickly caught his head, breaking the fall. He placed the head on his lap, and once again began his ministrations.

'Suicune's leg is injured quite badly if it hasn't healed yet.' He thought, 'I still can't understand how it got injured so badly?' He looked at the Pokémon and smiled when he saw it conversing with Pikachu. 'I cannot simply leave it here. It needs to be healed properly. I would have carried it had it not been so heavy, and it's clear that it cannot walk. As it is, I only see one possible option and I don't think that it's going to like that.'

He cleared his throat, catching the attention of both the Pokémon. "Suicune…" he began, "how did your leg get so injured? I know there are very few Pokémon who are capable of doing that."

Immediately, the Pokémon's demeanor darkened a bit. It spoke in a low growl, and by the expression on Pikachu's face was, it was evident that the answer wasn't good.

Pikachu himself started growling in fury as Suicune described what had happened to it. Pikachu, knowing that his trainer was unable to understand what the Pokémon were talking about, translated as much as possible. Not surprisingly, Ash understood most of what Pikachu was speaking, surprising the Legend as it didn't know any human who was capable of understanding Pokéspeech.

Meanwhile, Ash was infuriated. Pikachu had explained what Suicune had told him, and the trainer was seething on the inside. Apparently, a poacher had caught Suicune in a trap that had most probably broken his ankle. He had further electrified the Legend to such an extent that he was barely able to stand up. Some of the local Pokémon however had helped in creating a distraction long enough for the Legendary to escape. And somehow gathering the rest of its energy, Suicune had caused the rain and hidden itself in the cave.

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked his trainer, knowing that he despised poachers, having had to deal with the pesky Team Rocket trio for the last nearly six years.

"Don't worry bud." Ash spoke, as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I just cannot believe how despicable some people can be." He then turned towards Suicune. "I would really like to apologize for the mistreatments you had to suffer because of my race Suicune."

The sudden apology caught the Pokémon caught the Pokémon off guard, before it nuzzled into the trainer's face, licking it all the while. Ash pet the Pokémon once more before continuing, "Suicune, if your ankle really is injured then we need to get you healed properly. Now, I know you won't like what I'm about to suggest, but could you please hear me out?"

Curious, as to what the black haired trainer wanted, Suicune nodded, giving Ash the go to continue.

"There is a Pokémon Professor living nearby, going by the name of Samuel Oak. He is one of the leading authorities on Pokémon across the regions and has one of the best facilities in Kanto. I know you don't want to show yourself to humans, but could you please give him a chance? He is the best person that can heal you properly."

Suicune seemed to ponder the question. On the one hand, it would have to show itself to a human. On the other, it knew that the broken ankle was something that wouldn't heal by itself. It then looked towards Ash and made up its mind. Besides, having already met the trainer, it knew that if the young man trusted someone so much, he must be someone special.

It gave a nod, getting a sigh of relief from Ash.

'One step down.' The trainer thought. 'Only one more to go.'

"Thanks Suicune." He spoke, before a frown marred his face. "We have another problem Suicune." Seeing that he had the undivided attention of both Suicune and Pikachu, he continued, "Right now I can see that you are barely able to stand, let alone walk. Moreover, you are somewhat on the heavier side-" Hearing a growl, he stopped mid-sentence and was surprised to find the Pokémon glaring at him, almost challenging him to complete the sentence.

Having already dealt with situations, like that courtesy of an irate Misty and May, he saw the female fury burning deep within the Pokémon. In that moment, whatever doubts he had regarding the Pokémon's vanished in a puff of smoke. Understanding what he had said wrong, he altered his sentence.

"Because you are well built, I cannot carry you over to the Ranch. Besides, if the poacher is still out, he may see us travelling. So, the only think that I can do right now is…" here he took a deep breath before continuing, "to capture you."

Both Pikachu and Suicune stood there, laid there in the case of the Legend, before what Ash had spoken registered in the mind of Suicune and she growled. Loud.

Ash quickly started petting her, trying to diffuse the Pokémon's anger. "Please listed to me Suicune." He almost begged. "Right now this is the only viable option. I promise you that as soon as you are completely healed, I will release you so that you can be on your way. I swear that it is not my intention to capture you. But I only want to see you completely healed."

"Please think. Had I wanted to capture you, I could have done that while you were asleep and there was nothing you could have done. What I am asking of you right now to trust me. I promise, as soon as you are completely healed I will release you."

Suicune's growl subsided as it thought over what Ash had said. She realized that what he said was indeed true as it gave them a huge chance of reaching the facility undetected. And having met the trainer before, she knew that he was a good person. One who would think about his Pokémon's wellbeing before his own. Finally, making up her mind, she took a deep breath before nodding.

Ash brightened in delight at getting the Legend's approval, a sentiment which was shared by Pikachu, who gave a loud shout of "PIKA". Ash quickly unplugged a spare Pokéball from his magnetized belt before enlarging it. Suicune stiffened a bit, prompting Ash to resume the petting her, getting the Pokémon to relax once again in his lap.

"Don't worry Suicune" Ash spoke in a comforting voice, "I swear on my life, that as soon as you are healed I will let you go." As silence ensued in the cave, Ash noticed something else. And if twitching of Pikachu's ears were evident enough, he too had finally noticed it.

Ash smiled and turned towards Pikachu, who himself had a smile on his face. "Finally some good news, isn't there bud?"

"Pikachu." The mouse Pokémon nodded.

Suicune looked at Ash, who focused his attention back on the injured Pokémon. Seeing her somewhat confused expression, he elaborated, "Oh nothing Suicune. I was just telling Pikachu how it seems the rain has subsided. So, we can finally head back to the town. You ready to go?"

Suicune looked conflicted for a moment, before giving a firm nod and touching the center of the already enlarged Pokéball, resulting in getting sucked into the ball in a red beam of light. The Pokéball immediately dinged, indicating a successful capture. This surprised Ash as he had thought that there would some struggle due to the fact that Suicune was apprehensive of getting caught.

"I guess she trusts me a lot to let herself be captured so easily." Ash muttered, before once again turning towards his oldest partner, "Anyways, no need to waste any time. I promised that I would get her healed, and we don't back on our word, do we bud?"

"Pikachu", the rodent Pokémon replied with a shake of his head.

Ash got up, working out the kinks in his body by flexing a bit, before he turned towards the small crevice that brought him into this cave.

"Let's go Pikachu. We need to get Suicune healed and also inform Professor Oak that there might be a Pokémon poacher in this area."

Pikachu jumped and took his customary position as the pair headed out of the cave. Once again, squeezing through the tight crevice, Ash slowly made his way outside. Not a few moments later, he finally took a deep breath as he finally exited the tight crevice.

Both trainer and Pokémon smiled as they saw the scene before them. The black clouds had almost parted, letting sunlight fall from between them, giving the trees and plants surrounding them and unearthly glow. A rainbow had formed across the sky giving it an even more beautiful look.

Ash took a step back towards Pallet Town, however a loud caw, from high above in the sky, caught his and Pikachu's attention. Both looked up and were shocked beyond belief with what they saw. Flying high in the sky was a Pokémon. It was a large bird with a bright red plumage, green-tipped wings and a white underbelly. However, the thing that caught their eyes the most was the tail feathers which, seemed to reflect light in such a way that made it seem as though a rainbow was being emitted from it.

Both of them recognized the Pokémon. It was the first Legendary that they had ever seen. It had appeared whenever they were in a quandary, and seemed to guide them through tough times. Ash and Pikachu's smile widened as they saw Ho-Oh fly over them, as though guiding them once again.

"You know bud…" Ash finally spoke as the figure of Ho-Oh went past the horizon, "I think this was Ho-Oh's way of telling us that what we have decided is right."

"Pikachu." The mouse Pokémon, whose attention was still on the horizon, nodded in reply.

Taking a deep whiff, as the aroma of the forest entered his nostrils, he motioned for Pikachu, who didn't waste a moment before jumping on his partner's shoulder. Taking one look at the near setting sun, he made his way towards Pallet Town, knowing that it was going to be a somewhat long trek.

"Pikachu, keep your eyes and ears open for any human movement, would you? I don't want to encounter the poacher right now before informing Professor Oak about him." He stopped to look at the sun setting in the horizon, "Though there is a good chance that he is not here anymore. Otherwise, he'd have seen Ho-Oh fly overhead. Still, can't help but be careful."

"Pi Pika Pi." Pikachu nodded, agreeing with his trainer on that front.

After half an hour of walk, they reached the outskirts of the town and Ash started walking a little bit faster in the direction of Professor Oak's Laboratory. He had wanted to go meet his mom as well, but right now the well-being of the Legendary was on the front of his mind. Eventually, he saw the familiar windmill, sitting atop the hill that was the starting point of his journey all those years ago.

His pace increased to a near run, as he reached the facility and sprinted up the steps. Ringing the doorbell, he waited for someone, most probably Tracy, to open the door. He was therefore completely shocked to find the visage of Professor Samuel Oak at the door.

Not much had changed in terms of his look through all these years. He still wore the similar khaki cargo pants, with plain colored t-shirts and a large white lab-coat that Ash from his travels knew were almost a trademark for Professors across the regions. Except for the increase in a few number of grey hairs, nothing much had changed in his outward appearance.

Back at the entrance, Oak grabbed Ash by the hem of his collar and quickly pulled him inside, surprising the trainer with the strength in the old man. Pikachu squawked at such sudden force and jumped off his trainer to keep himself from falling. Professor Oak immediately closed the door and locked it, before turning towards Ash with a giddy look on his face.

Ash unconsciously took a step back, along with Pikachu, when he saw the look on the Professor's face.

It was the face of a child.

A child who had been locked in a candy store.

Pikachu and Ash looked at the Professor warily for a few minutes, though to them it felt like hours, before the Professor finally seemed to have lost his cool.

"Well, come on. Aren't you going to show me?" Oak almost shouted in delight.

Both trainer and Pokémon took another step back.

"Um…show you what Professor?" Ash squeaked.

The Pokémon Professor gave the trainer an annoyed look. "Ash, did you forget that I oversee your Pokémon database? And that I get an alert whenever you catch a new Pokémon?"

Realization dawned upon the duo as they understood what, or rather who, the Professor was talking about. They immediately sagged in relief, before looking at the Professor imperiously.

"Professor, do you think we could sit down before I show her to you? You need to first listen what happened with us." Ash spoke seriously.

The look on both Pikachu's and Ash's face showed how serious the matter was. He motioned them to his living room, where he sat on the recliner while Ash took the sofa, Pikachu sitting by his side.

Ash then recounted the events of the entire day, beginning from his defeat at the hands of Gary.

Throughout the dialogue, Oak had a stoic look on his face, though a myriad of emotions ran through his mind. He was annoyed, yet proud, that his grandson had shown Pallet's resident trainer a path that he knew would one day take him to greatness. However, it soon changed to awe when he heard how the boy had encountered another Legendary. The boy was either blessed or cursed to have met so many Legendries throughout his journey. And it hadn't even been six years since he had given the young trainer his Pikachu.

The awe turned to anger when Ash described the state of the Pokémon and how it had reached that state. He stopped Ash in between his accounting.

"Are you telling me that Suicune's ankle is fractured?" he asked.

Ash nodded solemnly, "Most probably. She tried getting up a few times but failed. Any other kind of injury should have healed by that time."

Professor Oak immediately got up and started moving towards the healing area of the facility, Ash and Pikachu behind him. Ash continued recounting the events, and by the time they had reached the room, Ash had finished retelling everything.

Oak ushered Ash and Pikachu into the room. "Ash," he spoke, catching the trainer's attention, "I am going to place a call to Officer Jenny and tell her to be on the lookout for a poacher. Meanwhile, could you get Suicune out on the examination table? It would be better if you get her accustomed to the new environment before I start healing her."

"All right-" he hadn't even finished the reply before Oak left the room in a hurry. "Professor."

Ash turned towards Pikachu, "Professor really was angry at finding out that a poacher was so close to his facility."

Pikachu nodded, his eyes fixed on the door which the Professor had just used.

"Anyways," Ash continued, "its time I get Suicune out."

He gently brought forth the Pokéball containing Suicune and tossed it into the air, something which Pikachu noticed seemed way cooler than his usual dramatic shout. He immediately decided to talk to his trainer about it, though that would have to wait.

The Pokéball opened and the silhouette of Suicune formed on the examination table, the Pokémon appearing moments later. She had a guarded expression on her face as she noticed the unknown surroundings, before her gaze fell on Ash and Pikachu. Both trainer and Pokémon could see her visibly breathe out a sigh of relief. However, she immediately tensed when the unfamiliar to her voice of Professor Oak came from outside the room.

"Ash, I have informed Officer Jenny to be on the lookout for any poacher." He spoke out loud as he entered the room, only to stop short when he saw the Pokémon seated on the table.

Suicune growled as the new human entered the room, its distrust of humans coming forward. She would have blasted the person across the room with one of hers attacks had Ash not stepped in front of him.

"Suicune, please calm down." He pleaded. "He is the Professor I was talking about. He will help you heal properly."

"Pi Pika Pi Pikachu Chu Pika." Pikachu pleaded alongside his trainer.

Suicune mellowed down a bit, letting the Pokémon Professor approach her, alongside Ash and Pikachu. As Ash petted the Pokémon's back, Oak couldn't help but be awestruck by her.

"You truly are a magnificent Pokémon, Suicune." Oak spoke on reverence. "I would like to thank you for trusting Ash enough to let him capture you. I will see to it that you are properly healed. And I have already seen to it that the person who did this to you is properly punished for committing such a heinous act."

Suicune, courtesy of Ash's petting and Oak's words, nodded in acknowledgement. She really was starting to like these humans. Oh she had heard about the younger ones from many of her counterparts. They had told her about the times he had helped them in one way or another. This second human was also starting to get in her good books. She wouldn't completely trust him like she had done with Ash, but she was ready to give him a chance at least.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Professor began to speak, "All right Ash, I will have to ask you to wait outside while I treat Suicune." Seeing that the young teenager was somewhat apprehensive of leaving the Pokémon alone, he immediately added, "It's not that I don't want you to be in here Ash, but you know that treating Pokémon is a difficult process. And I can't do it with you breathing down my neck. Besides, if you want Pikachu can stay in here with us."

Liking the idea of having at least one face that she trusted near her, Ash turned towards Suicune. "Hey girl," he began softly, "I am sorry I can't stay in here while Professor is treating you. But as he said, it will only hinder if I am here. Besides, Pikachu will stay by your side all the time."

Pikachu nodded his head vigorously, giving his assent to the idea.

"I will be just outside in the Corral, along with the rest of my Pokémon. As soon as Professor will be done with your treatment, I will come and meet you. Is that okay with you?"

Suicune simple nodded in reply, before fixedly staring at the Pokémon Professor.

Understanding that Suicune wanted him to begin the procedure, he ushered Ash out of the room. However, before he could close the door, Ash held his arms in a tight hold.

"Professor, look after her, will you?" He asked in a concerned tone, gaining a soft smile from the Professor.

"Don't worry Ash. I know how to properly treat a Pokémon. Besides, I would never harm her, you know that."

Ash nervously scratched his cheek with his index finger. "Ah! Sorry Professor." He apologized sheepishly, "Didn't want to doubt your skills. Anyways, after you are done with her could you look at Pikachu as well? I don't know if he healed properly after the match with Gary or not."

Oak simply nodded before closing the door, the red light atop the door lighting up, showing that the room was in use.

Ash sighed. He had fulfilled his promise to Suicune. Now, he just had to wait till she was completely healed and then he would let her go free, like she should be. He then focused back to the decision he had taken in the afternoon and decided his next course of action.

He quickly went towards the back of the lab and entered the Corral. It was a beautiful place, with moonlight shining on the green meadow, giving it an iridescent glow. There were a few wild Pokémon and Pokémon caught by other trainers who started from this part of Kanto, though most of them were either asleep or on the cusp of falling asleep.

He made his way further inwards, before finally reaching his destination and saw all the Pokémon he caught on his journey, either sleeping peacefully, playing, or, in some cases, training. He had unforgettable adventures and memories with all of them. Even Tauros, one of his underused Pokémon, had performed magnificently against Drake. The guilt once again racked up his mind as he thought about his mistake. He immediately crushed it, knowing that wallowing in self-guilt was not going to do anything for him.

' _It is time for me to rectify my mistakes.'_ "Hey guys! Over here! I'm here to tell you all something." He shouted, getting the attention of his Pokémon. Those who were awake recognized the voice, and nudged those asleep to get them to wake up.

Ash spotted a dust cloud, closer and closer it came and stopped in front of him. There they were. His friends, his life. Bulbasaur, Kingler, Muk, his 30 Tauros, Snorlax, Heracross, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Noctowl, Donphan, Swellow, Sceptile, Corphish, Torkoal, Aipom and Glalie.

"Guys-", a few shouts of protest "and gals," Ash sweatdropped.

"I have decided to visit another region named Sinnoh." Here, he could visibly see how a few of his Pokémon got sad, most probably due to the fact that he wouldn't spend time with them. He continued nevertheless, "But first I would like to apologize to all of you."

Seeing their confused expression, he took a deep breath and elaborated, "I want to apologize because I know that I haven't been the best trainer-" A massive protest came from the group making Ash smile at the support they showed him. "Thanks Guys, but it's true. It's my duty to train each of you and help you in getting stronger. We're partners, but I haven't been doing my part well. Can you guys forgive me?"

Ash's smile widened when the group collectively responded in a yes. He moved towards a tree nearby, and sat down, his Pokémon surrounding him in various ways. He gently petted Bulbasaur, who was sitting on his lap, while Bayleef huffed at not being the trainer's center of attention. "Thanks everyone. You don't know how much this means to me. Anyways, like I was saying I have decided to visit Sinnoh region next. But the fact is, that I only have four months to get all the required badges and enter the tournament."

"And while I'm confident that with you guys, I can do that easily, it will still be extremely hectic and any Pokémon that I do catch in the region will not be prepared to enter a tournament. Therefore I have decided that, for the next four months, I will stay here in Pallet and train with you guys. And when the time comes to go, I'll take as many of you as possible."

The group sat there, stunned at their trainer's words. However, that surprise soon turned to delight and they all decided to pounce on him in happiness. However, it seemed to be too much for the trainer, who tried desperately to get himself out of the pileup but failed in his endeavor. So, he simply decided to enjoy the feeling of acceptance.

After several minutes, the horde of Pokémon stepped back, quite a few of them with sheepish looks on their faces, letting Ash take breaths as though the air was his only life-sustenance. He yawned, as he felt blissful sleep slowly envelop him. His Pokémon, feeling his drowsiness, simply laid around him and let sleep overtake them.

One final thought ran through Ash's mind, as he laid there surrounded by his friends.

 _Look out, Sinnoh! Here I come!_

 _Author's Note_

 _Hello People Thanks for the Reading The Story. I have started working on further Chapters Then its original counterpart so it will be fun. Any idea for future will be appreciated in PM._

 _I may put Chapter 4 This Thursday if my story is progressing good or it is certainly guaranteed on Sunday._

 _Again thanks for support And keep reading and Reviews will be Appreciated_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N :- Hello people. Sorry for the late Update. I was working on ahead chapters to increase the time in Ash's time in kanto. Now in last A/N I asked with whom to pair Daisy with. I know many of you have suggested with Ash but I want to pair Ash with Cynthia Only. Sorry for the News but I don't see him like a person who is with multiple Girls.**

 **Now There were some pretty good suggestion like**

 **Brock**

 **Barry**

 **Paul**

 **Reggie (Paul's Brother)**

 **Ash**

 **Out of All of them I thought that Reggie will be a good choice due to his nature plus I think both of them can hit it off pretty easily.**

 **As for there was one PM regarding Lemons. I am Not sure about that but it may come later as I wanna first build the relation between Ash & Cynthia.**

 **Mega Evolution will be introduced but will not be Majorly used as there won't be more trainers with it.**

 **Now a Major Question Should I Introduce Tobias as Ash's Rival early or should it be till Sinnoh League. _**

 **Chapter 4 -** **A Promise Fulfilled**

Dawn slowly made way for morning, the lightening of the sky heralding the beginning of another day in the quaint, humble Pallet town. The cawing of Fearow as the sun peeked over the horizon broke several local Pokémon out of their deep night of rest. Several Pidgey could be seen shaking off of their sleep, getting ready for a new day, while Caterpie and Weedle could be seen getting ready to gather as much pollen from the plants.

In Oak's Corral, an extremely heartwarming scene could be seen near one of the bigger trees. Surrounding the area were a diverse type of Pokémon, quite a few of them not native to the region of Kanto. Sleeping in between them, his back against his trusty Snorlax, was a black haired, fair skinned trainer.

The various Pokémon around him stirred, however the trainer somehow kept on sleeping, unaffected by the activity of his Pokémon. He was eventually woken out of his blissful sleep when the Sleeping Pokémon he was leaning against abruptly woke up and lumbered off, prompting the almost 16 year old to fall back into the ground.

"AHH!" the teen yelled as he shot back up, the sudden bout of pain now coursing through his head. "What the heck was that for?!" he exclaimed as he rapidly spun his head in various directions, seeing all his Pokémon even his trusted partner Pikachu, getting up and dashing off towards a familiar Pokémon Watcher who was bringing a cart of food. A comical look of disbelief marred his face as he looked at the utter betrayal of his Pokémon. He immediately followed the way his Pokémon were going, only to find his Pokémon along with a few others surrounding the cart containing Pokémon food. He could see the drool running down Snorlax's face.

Smiling at his Pokémon's antics, he made his way towards Tracy. "Morning, Tracy."

"Morning, Ash." The elder teen replied with a smile. "Quite a stir you created last night." He spoke while Ash grabbed some food and started feeding Bayleef, Aipom and a few of his Tauros, all of whom were basking in the attention their trainer. Tracy, still feeding the rest of the Pokémon, continued. "You should have seen the Professor. He looked like a chicken with its head cut off, running around the lab in panic and excitement." He chuckled at the memory that was going to be one of the highlights of his life, seeing someone like Samuel Oak in panic.

"Ah." Ash scratched his cheek with an index finger, "I didn't actually catch her. I just wanted her to get healed, and that was the only way we could come here without catching unwanted attention." Sudden concern came to his mind as he remembered the Pokémon, "Anyways, how is she? Did Professor heal him?"

Seeing the concern in the young trainer's eyes, Tracy couldn't help but smile. He had always thought that Ash, along with being a brilliant trainer, but foremost a great person. The fact that a Legendary had trusted the young man enough to let herself be captured further evidenced his belief.

"She is fine. Professor set her ankle and has placed a cast around it. Her inherent energy will complete the healing and she'll be all right in a week at most." Seeing the trainer take a sigh of relief, he continued, "She is asleep right now and will most likely be for a few more hours."

"Anyways, you decided what you going to do next?" the Pokémon watcher asked, getting Ash's attention. "Decided which region you are going to visit?"

Ash, still feeding his Pokémon, answered, "Yeah, I have decided to go to Sinnoh next. Gary told me that it is a good region with nice challenges and many kind of Pokémon I haven't seen." Tracy seemed satisfied with his answer, but was surprised when he continued, "But I have decided that since I still have four months before the new League year begins, I will stay here in Pallet and train the Pokémon like I should have. Ever since I have left for Johto, I have neglected them way too much and I want to make up to them."

Tracy stood there, stunned for a brief moment at Ash's admission, before he shook his head as the smile on his face widened. "You know Ash, it is finally good to see that you are finally taking your responsibilities as a trainer seriously. I can't wait to see how much your Pokémon progress now that you are here to guide them. Besides, I am sure that quite a few of them have various surprises for you as well."

Ash, having finished feeding his Pokémon, turned towards Tracy, a questioning look at his last comment. "What do you mean, Tracy?"

Tracy simply shook his finger, a gleeful look on his face, "Now that you are here, you will find out eventually. Besides, I don't want to ruin the surprise now."

Ash turned towards his Pokémon, hoping to find out what the Watcher was being mysterious about, but was prevented from speaking anything as a loud growl was heard by everyone in the vicinity. Everyone turned towards Ash, as the source of the voice rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oops." He laughed. "I guess seeing you guys eat has made me hungry as well." As if agreeing with him, his stomach gave another louder rumble.

As the Pokémon laughed, Tracy spoke, "I think you need food as well Ash." His countenance became somewhat apologetic as he continued, "I am sorry though. Breakfast isn't ready so early or I would have asked you to stay for it. Why don't you head home? Mrs. Ketchum may be awake right now? Besides she was rather worried when Professor talked to her, after he had treated Suicune and Pikachu."

"Ahhh...yeah," Ash replied nervously. "I probably should do that." He was a tad bit nervous about that confrontation. Delia Ketchum, although sweet and understanding, was quite overprotective of her son when she wanted to be, and would definitely get angry and yell at him (even if only for a little while) in regards to some of his more...worrying and dangerous activities.

Shaking his head to focus once again, he spoke. "Anyways, thanks Tracy. Pikachu, you okay in staying here for now?"

"Pika," the Electric Type nodded in reply.

"Okay then, see you guys later." Ash yelled as he began running towards the fence surrounding the Corral. "When I come back, we'll get started on training hard, so get ready!" With that, he jumped across the fence and made his way towards his own home. He wanted to see Suicune, but as Tracy said, she was asleep and he didn't want to disturb the Water Type.

A quick run and he reached his destination. The Ketchum residence was a modest, two-storied house with an open lawn, surrounded by a white picket fence. The quick pace that Ash had set in order to reach his home had quickly slowed down as he thought of another person he had not thought about. By the time he had reached the door, he had come to realize how his battle crazy mind had made him neglect a lot more than just his Pokémon.

Steeling his nerves, he opened the door.

"Mom, I'm ho-!"

He had barely finished speaking when Delia came from the kitchen, the apron over her usual attire, and a fierce angry look on her usually smiling face.

"ASH KETCHUM, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS-"

She was unable to finish her reprimand as the young trainer barreled into her, surprising her with the ferocity of his hug. She stood there, stunned at her son's behavior, who wasn't used to show such displays of love. Her surprise increased as Ash spoke.

"I'm sorry mom."

Ash placed his head on his mother's shoulder, letting loose the guilt that had crept up on him.

"I'm sorry for not being a good son, mom."

Despite being surprised, Delia replied, "What are you talking about Ashy? Of course you are a good son. You are a son any mother would be proud of."

Ash, still hugging his mother, shook his head, "No, I'm not. Had I been a good son, I would have spent time with you every time I returned from my adventures. Instead, I just packed my bags and started off for another region without thinking that you would want to spend some time with me. And for that I am sorry."

Delia simply stroked her son's back, "Seeing you happy was enough to make me happy Ashy. Every time you returned, you were so excited about your adventures and whenever you heard about another region, there was a feeling of anticipation in you that I couldn't help but feel happy about. After all, no matter what anyone says, that is the duty of a mother. They can't help but feel nervous, scared even, when their kids are out in the world going through some adventure. And they can't help but feel happy when they return and have a smile on their faces. And that is just enough to light up their day."

"Nevertheless, if you feel that you forgot to pay attention to me, I forgive you, not that there is anything to forgive."

By the end of it, Ash was weeping on his mother's shoulders. He still couldn't believe he had forgotten about his mother so easily. All throughout his travels, he had barely called his mother a few times. Whereas she was there for him in every facet of his life, be it his younger years, his first Pokémon, his every Tournament.

In the background, Mr. Mime smiled at the mother-son interaction, but decided not to interfere. He, however, placed a small illusion on the window so no passerby could see this private moment, before he went back to his usual duties of cleaning.

Delia caressed Ash's hair, letting him cry on her shoulder and let all the guilt out. She knew something had happened with her son. Professor Oak had hinted that her boy was finally going to act as a trainer, she didn't understand what he was hinting towards. Now, she knew something had caused her normally short-sighted son to be so retrospective. And she would find out what it was. But right now, he needed her.

"Ashy," she began. "Why don't you go and wash yourself? I am preparing breakfast. It shall be done in the next five minutes. And then you can tell me everything."

As if agreeing with the owner of the house, the never ending cesspit known as Ash's stomach gave a loud gurgle, making the owner of said stomach smile sheepishly as he wiped the tears that marred his face.

Delia smiled, her son would never change, and that's the way she wanted him to be.

Ash wiping away the last of his tears as he watched his mother go back towards the kitchen. Following his mother's advice, he hurriedly went through his morning ablutions and was seated in the dining table, dressed in a comfortable pair of cargo shorts and a white t-shirt, a picture of a Pokéball printed on it.

Not a few seconds later, Delia brought forth a plate full of pancakes with bacon on the side, along with a jug full of orange juice. Ash jumped on the food and tore through it like a hungry Snorlax, a fact which made Delia crinkle her nose. While she had found it adorable on a younger Ash, it did not suit her teenage son. Deciding to talk about that later, she waited for Ash to finish his breakfast, as she too sat and had a small portion.

Ash patted his stomach, which looked full to the brim, as Mr. Mime carried away the large pile of dirty plates using his psychic powers.

Delia turned towards her son, "Ashy, what happened yesterday dear?"

Ash sighed, knowing that it was going to be a long story. "Well, you see…"

Half an hour later Delia sat there, stunned at her son's words. Oh she took the fact that his son had captured a Legendary quite nicely. While she was indeed surprised that he had done so, when she had heard his explanation she understood his reasoning. Besides, she knew that her son was meant to have a few Legendries, what with the number of encounters he had told her about, and the one she had been a part of. What did surprise her was the last part of his explanation.

"…And therefore, I have decided to stay here for the next four months and only visit Sinnoh once the new League year begins."

Ash turned to look at his mother and got concerned as she simply sat there, stock still.

"Mom?" Ash asked carefully. "Are you all right?"

Seeing that his mother wasn't responding, Ash started to get up, only to recoil as he was suddenly in a hug by said person, which made any previous hug by her look tame. His arms flailed as he tried to breath against the constriction of his mother. His arms drooped down as his face started gaining a bluish tint from the lack of oxygen, all the while Delia kept proclaiming 'how good her son was' and 'how before Delia let go of her son.

As he gulped sweet air, as though it was his lifeline. Meanwhile, Delia took her place back, a sheepish smile on her face.

"So…" Delia began a few moments later. "What were you saying honey?"

The glare that he had directed towards his mother lessened as he continued.

"What I wanted to ask was that, could you teach me how to cook?"

Seeing the befuddled look on his mother's face, Ash elaborated, "You see, throughout my travels, there was someone who prepared the meal be it Brock or Tracy. And now, while there may be a chance that I'll meet someone who can take care of that, I don't want to be dependent on anyone else. There is the option of staying in Pokémon Centers, they are few and far between and most of my time will be spent in the woods."

"I was going to ask Tracy and Brock to teach me how to prepare food for my Pokémon, but when it comes to the matter of preparing normal food, I know that you are way better than them. So, please? Could you teach me how to cook as well?"

This time, instead of another crushing bear hug he had expected, he was somewhat surprised to find his mother with a finger on her chin, a contemplative expression on her face. He thought Delia was going to decline his request, but the smile that made way on her face answered his question.

"Of course I'll help you honey. As a mother, it is my duty to help you as much as possible," Delia replied nonetheless.

Ash let out a big whoop from his seat, gaining another giggle from his mother.

"So, when can you teach me mom?"

"When do you want Ashy?"

Ash stroked his chin, as a few thoughts ran through his mind. "You see," he began. "I was going to ask Professor Oak to teach me as much as he can in the next four months. While I know about battling, the rest of it I am not as knowledgeable about. If he decides to teach me, then most of my day will be spent at the Corral, either with Professor and Tracy or in training my Pokémon."

"So why don't I teach you at night, while I prepare the dinner?" Delia replied promptly.

"That'd be great mom." Ash replied happily. Finally, things had started shaping up. He simply couldn't help but feel anxious as he thought about everything he wanted to achieve in the next four months. His attention then turned towards the clock and he was startled to find that it was close to ten o'clock in the morning.

"Hey mom," he spoke while getting up from the chair and moving towards the door. "I am going to Professor's Lab. Want to check on Suicune and the rest of the team, and have to ask Professor Oak and Tracy about teaching me as well."

"Don't worry honey." Delia spoke as she too followed her son to the doorsteps. "I'm sure they will love to teach you. Now hurry off. And don't forget that you now have cooking classes with me."

"Can't wait for the night mom. See you later." He waved her goodbye as he made his way to the Pokémon Professor's Lab.

Back in the Ketchum Residence, Delia stood there on the doorway, watching the diminishing from of her son with a proud look on her face. She couldn't help but remember the conviction and resolve in Ash's face when he talked about his plan. However, the same conversation brought a frown on her face, as she remembered the various dangerous situations that her son had been a part of.

A thought crept up into her mind, the thought quickly turning into an idea. An idea that her caring heart was starting to approve with each passing second. As she went into the kitchen, to check whether Mr. Mime had properly cleaned the dishes or not, she resolved to talk to her growing son about it.

As she thought about her growing son, another thought came to her mind. About a lesson that she hadn't given her son. A lesson, that in truth, she should have given at least three years ago.

With a new resolve, she went into the store room of the house.

She had a book to find.

As she closed the door of the store room, she let out a giggle.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Back on the route, a shiver ran down Ash's spine as his instincts warned him not to go back to his house. Thinking it to be a figment of his imagination, he carried on to the Lab. A fifteen minute walk later, he reached the gate of the Lab. With newly resolved vigor, he climbed the stairs and rang the doorbell.

A sudden feeling of déjà vu crept through his mind, as his body was once again grabbed, as soon as the door was opened and dragged into the facility. This time though, rather than asking him anything, the Pokémon Professor simply dragged the befuddled trainer by his collar and dragged him across the Lab.

Seeing the panicked look on Oak's face, Ash couldn't help but ask.

"Professor? Everything all right?"

Oak moved forward, as though he hadn't even heard the question. Ash was about to ask him once again, when he spoke.

"You have got to calm Suicune down Ash." Oak almost begged.

Ash focused his attention towards the Professor. "What happened Professor?" he asked, unease evident on his face. "Is Suicune all right?"

Oak wiped a sweat from his forehead, as he replied, "She woke up fifteen minutes ago and since then she hasn't let either Tracy or me from going near her. Pikachu has tried talking to her, but she is not letting anyone enter the room. It seems that not seeing you in the morning has made her suspicious of everyone in here."

Not waiting to reply to the Professor, Ash ran towards the Recovery Room, intent on calming down the Legendry. Reaching the room, he wasn't surprised to see Pikachu standing in front of the door.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, getting his starter's attention.

Pikachu smiled widely as he saw his trainer, and ran towards him.

"Pika Pi Pikachu Chu Pika Pi." The Electric type spoke, gesturing wildly towards the closed door.

"I know bud, I know." Ash replied. "I should have come earlier, but I had to talk to mom about something and I couldn't delay it. Anyways, it doesn't matter now. You go on and rejoin the rest of them. I'll try to persuade Suicune to calm down and come out to meet the others."

"Pika?" the Pokémon asked quizzically.

"What?" Ash shrugged. "She may be a member of the team for just a while, that doesn't mean that we cannot make her feel at home. Besides, the others will be excited to see another Legendry. Don't you think so?"

"Pikachu." His starter replied with a thumbs up, before running off to join the group.

Taking a deep breath, Ash slowly turned the knob of the door, gaining a loud growl from the Pokémon behind the door. Not paying any attention to that, he moved forward.

"Suicune," he began cautiously. "It's me Ash."

The lessening of the growl gave Ash the go to move ahead. As he entered the room, he was surprised to see Suicune standing there, in one corner of the room giving as less pressure on her bandaged leg as possible. However, she still had a guarded position, as though ready in case Ash attacked her.

"I'm sorry for not being here when you awoke, but Tracy told me that you would be asleep for a while and I had to go talk to my mom about something. Could you please forgive me for not being here?" Ash almost begged the Pokémon as he moved closer towards her.

By the time he had explained the situation, Suicune seemed to have mellowed down. Ash took a few tentative steps towards her and seeing that she did not flinch, he took the last few steps and gently enveloped the large Pokémon in a hug. Suicune nuzzled against the trainer, making Ash give out a sigh of relief. Not breaking the hug, he rubbed her back, getting a purr from the Pokémon.

"Hey Suicune…" he began. "Would you like to meet the rest of my Pokémon? I have quite a few water types and they will be ecstatic to see you."

"Suicune." The Aurora Pokémon nodded in reply.

"You don't mind if I recall you back in the Pokéball, do you?" Suicune broke the hug to look at the trainer, who himself was smiling sheepishly while scratching his cheek with his index finger.

"Um, you see, I wanted to surprise my Pokémon with your entrance. While a few of them have seen a Legendary previously, quite a few of them are young and haven't done so before." He then took out Suicune's Pokéball and was happy to see that she hadn't showed any visible reaction, bare for the slight cocking of her head.

A few seconds later, Suicune nodded her head with a soft cry of 'Suicune' and touching the center of the ball, vanished in a red beam of light.

Ash gently placed the Pokéball back on his belt and went outside, only to find Oak and Tracy peering from around the corner. He waved at them.

"Don't worry guys," he spoke with a smile. "Suicune is fine. I have her in her ball."

As he moved towards the duo, he could see them take a sigh of relief. And truth be told, he understood where they were coming from. The Lab contained equipment worth a fortune. And they did not want to have a pissed Pokémon who could destroy that with just a couple, or even less, attacks.

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he spoke to the Professor as he reached them. "Sorry for the delay in reaching here Professor. I was having a conversation with mom and it took longer than expected."

"Don't worry my boy. I can understand you spending time with your mother." Oak waved Ash off, as Tracy went back into the Lab, most probably to do some sketching. "Now, have you decided what you are going to do next?"

"Yes Professor," Ash replied as the duo moved towards the Corral. "I intend to go to Sinnoh, but after I spend the next four months training my Pokémon. This time, I intend to learn from my victories, losses and the trials that my friends and I have gone through. And therefore, I want them to be a part of my adventures from now on. But for that to happen I need your help Professor."

Oak stood there, his eyebrows cocked at the trainer's words. His eyebrows almost vanished into his hairlines, as Ash suddenly bowed from the waist.

"Professor," he began in a serious tone. "Can you teach me everything you can about Pokémon in the next four months?"

"Ash," Oak spoke in a solemn tone, after several seconds of silence. "You do not have to bow down to me to ask to be taught. Anyone who wants to learn about Pokémon can ask the Regional Professor. And should the Professor find the person worthy enough, he can teach that person. Now, had you been the same person who had started his journey nearly six years ago, with the disobedient Pikachu, and had asked the same thing, I would have immediately declined."

Ash's heart dropped hearing this and was about to thank the Professor, when said person continued speaking, "But now, I see a young man who will go through hell in order to help a Pokémon. And that is one facet that I find in very few trainers. Therefore, I shall happily teach you everything I can about Pokémon."

Ash was about to let out a whoop of delight as the words finally registered his brain, but was stopped short when Oak spoke, this time in a tone that was completely unlike his grandfather like persona.

"Let me warn you Ash," he began. "I am a very busy person and I don't like to waste my time. Should I find that you are not making use of this opportunity and slacking off, I will immediately stop teaching you. I consider the pursuit of knowledge a great task and expect you to give it everything you have got."

"I promise to give it everything Professor," Ash promised.

"All right then," the Professor continued. "Starting tomorrow morning, seven a.m. onwards I want you present in the Lab. Don't Be Late. You will spend most of the day around me and help me in the Lab. All the while I will teach you about Pokémon. Starting from the very basics. And I don't want you to whine when I tell you something that you already know."

Ash simply nodded, somewhat stunned by this personality showed by the usually calm Professor Oak.

"And know this, no matter how much I teach you, you can never know everything about Pokémon. Four months is not enough time to teach you everything I know. Even then, after all these years of research I have done, there are still things about them that are new to me. So treat everything you get to know about Pokémon as something new to learn. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Professor." Ash replied, having finally gotten his voice.

"Good," Oak himself nodded. "From tomorrow, the time you spend in here will be distributed in two parts. Me teaching you and then you training your Pokémon. How it will be distributed will be decided tomorrow onwards." As a calm look came on his face, Oak spoke softly, "I am placing my trust on you Ash. Don't break it."

"I won't, Professor." Ash proclaimed.

"That's good to hear. Now why don't you go and spend some time with your Pokémon and get reacquainted with them. I am sure they have quite a few surprises for you, just like you have for them."

"Ugh," Ash groaned. "Not you too. In the morning, Tracy was being all mysterious and now you too. What is it that you guys are hiding?"

"Now that would be telling, my boy." Oak gave a mysterious smile, something which pissed Ash off even further. "Now, is there anything else that you wanted?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded, having already thought what else he wanted to do. "You think I can make a few calls? I think it's time some of my friends come back home."

Oak gave an appreciative nod, as he started moving away. "It's nice to hear that. You can use the telephone in the Transfer room."

"Thanks Professor," Ash replied as he made his way to the room, intent on making a few calls.

Dialing the first number, he waited for a few moments before it was answered by a familiar voice.

"Vermillion City Police Department, this is Officer Jenny. How may I help you?"

"Hey Officer Jenny, it's me. Ash. You think you could open up the video feed?"

The screen in front of Ash lit up, the smiling face of Jenny visible on it.

"Hey there, Ash. Long time no see. How are you doing?" she asked.

"It's good to see you too Jenny. I'm great. How about you guys? How is the Squirtle Squad doing?"

"Oh you know," Jenny shrugged. "We've been keeping up with our training. The squad is an even better knit group nowadays. So, you called to get Squirtle back?"

"How did you know?" Ash asked sheepishly.

"I am an Officer, Ash. I have been trained to read people and I can almost feel the excitement on your face." Jenny spoke, a proud look on her face. "Anyways, when and where do you want him?"

"Can you bring him over to Pallet Town? I am staying here for a while."

"Sure, I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. Besides, I think Squirtle will be happier when he is with you."

Ash cocked his head, "What do you mean Jenny? Is he not happy there?"

"No! No!" Jenny shook her head vehemently. "Nothing like that. It's just that he wanted to show you something for a couple of days and I think he will be happy to finally see his trainer. I can assume you will be taking him for good this time?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "I hope that is not an inconvenience for you."

"Of course it isn't Ash. The face that you let go of your Pokémon just so he could help us is more than enough. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow, Jenny. And once again thanks." Ash replied as he ended the call.

Dialing another number, he waited as the phone rang for a few seconds, before it was answered by a young green haired woman. Standing behind her was a Charizard with a bow on the top of its head.

"Hey Liza. How are you doing?" the Charizard huffed at being ignored. "And how are you doing Charla?"

"It's good to hear from you Ash. I'm doing well. How about you? Congratulations on winning the Battle Frontier." The woman, now named Liza, replied. Behind her Charla roared in agreement.

"Thanks Liza. It really was one of the toughest things I have done till date." Ash replied with his usual grin. "Anyways, how is Charizard doing?"

"How do you think? Ever since he has returned, he is training rigorously to regain what he thinks is 'lost prestige'. You know, I still find it difficult to believe that he was the same puny Charizard who came here nearly four years ago." She gained a sudden glint on her face, not that Ash noticed, as she continued, "Truth be told, you have also grown quite nicely in these years Ash."

"Thanks Liza," Ash smiled, without blinking, not understanding what she meant, something that Liza noticed. She chuckled at the trainer's obliviousness. Ash continued speaking, "Anyways, do you think you could send Charizard over to Pallet Town? I am going to spend the next few months here and Charizard can be a big help to my Pokémon in training."

A surprised Liza ultimately answered, "Nice forethoughts Ash. I will tell Charizard that you need him. Where are you going to go next? And will you take Charizard as well?"

"I am planning to go to Sinnoh after this. And will most probably need Charizard on a regular basis to train any new Fire-types I catch there." Ash replied with a smile. "Though I will see to it that he goes back to the Valley as much as he can."

"Sure, I'll inform Charizard. I'm positive he won't mind seeing you again so soon. He should be over there by the end of the day, sound good?"

"That's great, Liza! Thanks!"

"No problem! I'll see you soon Ash, take care!"

"Bye and thanks again. Bye Charla!"

"Charr!"

When the call ended, Ash took out the final number and sighed. He truly hoped that his first Fighting Type did not hold any ill will towards him. "Alright, here goes nothing," he told himself as he entered the number. The phone rang for several seconds by a brawny man with brown hair.

"Hello, this is Anthony speak-" he stopped short mid-introduction as he finally noticed who he was talking to. An awkward silence ensued over the next several seconds, with Ash not knowing what to say and Anthony simply stunned that Ash had called him. Eventually, the muscular man seemed to get his wits and spoke, "Ash Ketchum? Is that really you?"

"Yep, it's me Anthony." Ash smiled sheepishly.

"Holy fuck, you have grown nicely kid." Anthony shouted, and Ash was sure he heard a shout of "DAD" somewhere in the screen. "It's great to see you again, kid!" He looked away from the camera and yelled, "Hey Rebecca! Get Primeape over here, Ash Ketchum has called!" He turned back to Ash and continued, "It's been a while since we met kid. How are you doing?"

"I've been fine. What about you guys?" He didn't wait for a reply before continuing, "And how is Primeape doing?"

"We're doing great here. Primeape has been great as well. In fact he has been the P1 Champ for the last four years. I have seen to it that he trains regularly, not that he needs it. He truly is a training nut."

"That's great to hear Anthony, I can't thank you enough." Ash smiled before frowning, "You don't know how terrible I feel that I have been neglecting him all these years."

"Yeah, that was something I found wondering about myself." Anthony replied as a small frown appeared on his face. "I was surprised when you didn't call to check up on Primeape or anything."

"You don't know how guilty I feel about that Anthony. Even now I feel that Primeape will not forgive me." The guilt on Ash's face softened Anthony up.

"Don't be worried kid." The older man reassured him. "Sure, you may feel that you have neglected him. But I don't think that Primeape will hold it against you. In fact I am sure that he will be very excited to see you. By the way, I'm assuming that you called to get him back?"

"Actually-"

He didn't get to finish as a loud cry of "Prime Primeape" was heard from Anthony's side of the phone. A couple of seconds later, a large pig-like monkey appeared on the screen. Differentiating it from regular Primeapes was the shiny golden belt on its waist. Primeape seeing Ash on the screen, immediately got excited. "Primeape Prime Primeape!"

"Good to see you too Primeape." Ash greeted the Fighting Type with a joyful smile, as the feeling of nostalgia overtook him. "How are you doing, bud?"

"Primeape," the Pig Monkey Pokémon replied with a proud look on his face, while pointing towards his belt.

"I heard from Anthony that you have been the Champ for the last four years," Ash praised. "I truly am proud of you Primeape. I'm sure you have gotten a lot stronger since I left you with Anthony."

"Primeape Prime!" the Pokémon nodded by pumping his biceps.

"Awesome!" Ash said with a smile. "Say Primeape? Would you like to come back to the team?"

"Prime?"

"I know that I haven't been the best of trainers. I never called to check up on you, and truth be told, had someone not told me a few things yesterday I still may not have. I have no reason for such despicable behavior and right now the only thing I can do is ask for your forgiveness and somehow try to make it up to you. In a few months I am going to a new region to compete in the Pokémon League, and I'd really love it if you were to come with me and be a part of the team, battling alongside the others. I know it is a bit out of nowhere, but do you think you could forgive your idiot trainer and come back to me?"

"Prime Primeape!" the Fighting Type replied not a second later, pumping his fist, showing how excited he was. He was finally going to see his trainer again. And not only that, he'd get to meet his old friends? And travel with his trainer, hopefully getting some good fights along the way.

"Really Primeape?" getting an eager nod in reply, he turned towards Anthony. "Is it all right with you Anthony?"

"Of course, kid." The man replied with a smile. "In the end he is your Pokémon. Besides, I think I have taught him everything I can. Now the only thing he does need is experience in fighting Pokémon of different type, something which I am sure you can provide."

"Thanks Anthony." Ash smiled. "Anyways, how soon can you guys get here?"

"You still in Pallet Town?" Ash nodded in reply, as he continued, "I can be there by tomorrow afternoon. That alright with you?"

"That's great Anthony! See you guys then! See you tomorrow Primeape!"

"See you, Ash!"

"Primeape!"

As the call ended, Ash could barely hold the grin back on his face as he thought about the Pokémon that were returning to him. He was broken out of his giddy state courtesy of the voice of Professor Oak.

"So, Primeape is coming back?"

Ash smiled as he turned towards the Professor.

"Yep, and I have also called back Squirtle and Charizard. The next four months are going to be great, I just know it."

"Good, good," Oak commented. "I always thought that you would have won the match in the Indigo League if you had a few more Pokémon, especially someone like Primeape."

Ash chuckled as he thought about the Indigo League. It truly was his worst performance. While his Pokémon had given it their all, he was the one who thought about hair brained ideas. His chuckle died down as he thought about the match in the Top-16. About how Team Rocket had stolen all their Pokémon and how he had, just like always jumped into the fray to save them.

His memories soon shifted to that of a Pokémon. One of his first caught Pokémon. The Pokémon, which Brock had once commented, would take any attack if Ash asked her to. Dread filled his body, as he thought about a promise that he had made. A promise he had failed to keep.

He ran towards the Pokémon storage room, gaining a satisfied look on the Professor's face. He was happy that Ash had taken the hint that he wanted to give. Meanwhile, reaching the room Ash went to his own storage area and looked through his Pokéball collection, before eventually finding the one he was looking for. Picking it up, he ran towards the exit of the Lab.

He passed Oak on his way and stopped for a second.

"Professor, I'll be out for a while. I have a promise that I need to fulfill."

Not waiting for another second, Ash ran out of the Lab and in the direction where he had last seen her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Pidgeot! Pidgeot!" the loud voice of the young trainer could be heard throughout the forest, as he tried to find his first Flying Type Pokémon. Ash again cursed himself for forgetting about Pidgeot. As a Pidgeotto, she had been his best Pokémon, someone he could always trust upon. And yet he had failed to keep up to a promise he had made.

Even now, he had this nagging feeling that perhaps she thought that he had abandoned her. What if she wasn't here anymore? What if she didn't forgive him?

He immediately dispelled these thoughts from his mind. He had to find Pidgeot. Even if she did not want to come with him, he had to at least tell her that he had kept his promise, albeit a bit too late.

"Pidgeot!" he shouted once again, not knowing that someone had indeed heard his shout. However, this someone wanted only one thing from Ash. And that was vengeance.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hundred yards away, a pair of black eyes snapped open as a familiar voice reached its ears. Narrowing its eyes, it scoped the surroundings to check if it indeed was the voice of someone he despised. Eventually, it saw the person. While larger, the creature could still identify the person. The person who had used the retched Pidgeot to evict it from the area that rightfully belong to his.

It remembered. It remembered, how his own flock had gone against him when the group, led by that Pidgeot, had come to them in order to ask them to peacefully co-exist. How he had vehemently denied, only to be overruled by his herd. And how, now he was there, alone.

Once again, focusing on the human, the bird took flight.

XXXXXXXXX

A few kilometers away, a rocky cliff was filled to the brim with several small Pidgeys and Spearows. Overlooking them were a bunch of larger Pidgeots and Fearows. To a Flying-Type trainer, this would appear as heaven.

Seated on top of the cliff, like a king overlooking his kingdom, was a Pidgeot. However, her plumage could easily outshine anyone else present over there. The crest on her head longer than her body, made her stand out like a queen.

"PIDGEOT!"

The bird Pokémon snapped her eyes, trying to hone in the direction from which the familiar, yet more mature voice came from. Using her keen eyes, she scanned the area, trying to see if what she was hearing was indeed true. Not finding anything, she had almost given up.

"PIDGEOT!"

This time her eyes snapped in the direction of the shout, her keen eyes working in overhaul as she focused, more than she had ever done before. Not finding anything, she took flight, soaring higher into the sky. Flapping her wings, she increased her speed, traversing a mile within a few seconds, all the while searching for the owner of the voice.

Her eyes narrowed as she found the person. She focused even further, her eyes widening as she recognized him. Despite looking slightly older than before, not much had changed in the person. She was overjoyed as she realized that he had finally returned, returned to keep his promise. For the last three years she had almost given up hope that he would come for her, abandoning her just like many others did with their Pokémon.

As he stood there calling out her name, memories came forth to her mind. From the time he caught her, to the various adventures they shared and finally stopping on the memory of the last time he hugged her, promising her that he would come back for her.

Sudden movement made her snap her eyes in direction opposite to her trainer, her eyes widening in shock as she saw the Fearow who had started it all barreling towards him. Even from this far, she could feel the contempt and hatred that he held for her trainer. Her eyes narrowed as she saw his trajectory, a snarl forming on her face as she realized what he wanted to do.

Like hell she would let the bastard cause harm to her trainer.

She soared, higher than she had ever before.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Pidgeot," Ash called out, his voice barely a whisper, dread filling him as he thought that maybe he was too late. She must have left with her flock, lest she would have answered by now.

He turned back, dejected that he wasn't able to meet his Pokémon. He was ashamed that he hadn't even gotten the chance to apologize. As he walked back on the road, the sudden shadow of a bird forming over him made his heart sore. He stopped and looked up, hoping against hope that perhaps she had heard his calls.

Only for that hope to crumble and turn to dread, as he saw a Fearow, its beak glowing while the rest of its body spiraled downwards towards him. Not knowing the reason for such animosity, he turned to order Pikachu to attack the incoming bird, only to give a muffled curse as he realized that he had left his starter in the Corral.

He took out a Pokéball, but hesitated, not wanting to use Suicune in her weakened state. By the time the hesitation had gone, and he had enlarged Suicune's Pokéball, he realized that it was too late, as Fearow had covered the distance between the two of them and was just a few feet away from him.

He was about to jump aside and try to dodge the enraged Pokémon, when a reddish blur struck the Fearow from above, causing the Beak Pokémon to crash into the ground, creating a cloud of smoke in the surrounding area.

Ash coughed into his hands, as he got back up, the force of the attack having knocked him down a few feet away. He squinted his eyes, trying, and failing, in finding out the identity of his savoir. A sudden gust of wind blew across the area, sending the dust cloud away, immediately showing the identity of his savior.

His eyes widened, as tears filled his eyes. He would later realize that he had cried a lot in these two days. Currently, however, he could barely hold back a sob as he saw her, more majestic than any other Pidgeot he had ever seen before, as she stood there standing atop the Fearow who now had swirls in place of its eyes.

He could see the slight reddish tips of her wings, similar to the color of the shroud he had seen just a few moments ago. He did not wait another moment. He ran towards her, engulfing her in a hug, being aware as not to step on the fainted Pokémon.

"I'm sorry Pidgeot," he mumbled. "I'm sorry for being such a terrible trainer. For not fulfilling my promise. For not coming back for you even when I said I would. For making you think that I abandoned you. I have no reason for doing what I did, and even if I had I don't think it would be enough for what I did. I know that I am do not deserve it, but could you please forgive me?"

Pidgeot said nothing, staring at the openly weeping trainer as he clutched onto her plumage. She unfurled her wings, making the trainer let go of the hug with a puzzled look on his tear-drenched face. The puzzlement changed to shock filled horror as the Bird Pokémon took flight, soaring higher into the sky.

Ash looked down, tears starting anew, as he realized that his friend hadn't forgiven him. He had hoped that maybe, just like Primeape, Pidgeot would forgive him, only for that hope to be crushed as the flying form of Pidgeot grew smaller with each passing second.

He turned back, ready to go back to the Corral and inform his friends about how his absentmindedness had caused in the loss of a friend.

"PIDGEOT!"

Only to turn back at the sudden cry of his Pokémon. He looked up, only for his eyes to widen as he saw her simply hovering, high in the air, above him. Despite the height, his eyes caught Pidgeot's and he saw the fury in them. He again looked down, ashamed that he had caused this.

"PIDGEOT!"

The next cry made him focus on the Flying Type once again, his eyes widening as he saw her plummet towards him, a fire-like, red shroud enveloping her. Despite not recognizing the attack, he understood what she wanted to do. If she wanted to hurt him to vent her anger, he would let her. If this is what it took to gain her apology, he would endure the pain.

As Pidgeot closed in on him, barely a dozen feet away, he closed his eyes, getting ready to feel the pain. Although he was proud that she had learned an obviously powerful move by herself. His mind was moving towards another thought, when Pidgeot barreled into him.

The first thing he noticed that she wasn't hot, like the red shroud had indicated. The next thing he noticed, as he tumbled around, was that he had been engulfed.

Between a pair of wings.

His mind, taking a couple of seconds to reboot, finally realized that he had been hugged by Pidgeot. The tumbling duo finally stopped, with Ash laying on top of the Bird Pokémon, as he snuggled further into her plumage, enjoying the rhythmic beating of her heart.

Eventually, Pidgeot stood up, forcing Ash to do so as well. He rubbed her head crest, an action which she seemed to like if the way she leaned into him was any evidence.

"I'm really sorry, girl," he spoke, trying to convey his guilt. "Can you forgive me?"

"Pidge Pidgeot!" the Flying Type nodded, extending her wings.

Ash did not waste another moment and barreled into her, enjoying the warm feeling that she emitted, her abnormal size almost matching him in height. His focus abruptly shifted at the sudden narrowing of her eyes. He turned around, eyes focusing on the twitching Fearow on the ground.

He tried to understand why this Fearow had attacked him. While Fearow were known to be territorial, for them to attack a human without a reason was extremely rare.

"Geot Pidge Pidgeot!" the bird Pokémon chirped.

"What do you mean that he deserved it, Pidgeot?" Ash asked, happy that he could still understand his Pokémon despite being separate for such a long time.

"Pidge Pidgeot, Geot Pidgeot!"

Ash's eyes widened as he realized who this Fearow was. He turned back towards him, his burnt form twitching from the phantom pains. Several thoughts running rampant through his mind. The most prominent of them being the fact that he couldn't let such an angry Pokémon out in the open. Moreover, if Pidgeot came back to him, Fearow would without a doubt attack the flock once again.

Pidgeot seemed to be having the same thoughts, as she nudged the trainer, giving him a look that almost said 'are you gonna do it or what?' Ash shook his head, smiling. He had come here just to get his first Flying Type back, and the way she was indicating, he would most probably go home with two.

"Before I do that, I need to ask you something Pidgeot," he spoke, getting the Bird Pokémon's attention. "Would you like to come back and join me in my journey?"

"Pidgeot!" the Pokémon nodded, not even taking a second. Sure, she would miss her flock, but she knew that they were in relative peace and there were quite a few other Pidgeots and Fearows that were capable of looking after the younger ones. She also wasn't going to miss a chance to meet her other friends and see how strong they'd gotten.

Ash took out a Pokéball, and tapped it on Pidgeot's head, the mechanism sucking her in a red beam of light. He instantly let her go, his face expressing a happy feeling, something that was reflected in Pidgeot's face. He then turned towards Fearow.

"You truly did a thing on him, didn't you girl?" Ash asked rhetorically. In response, Pidgeot puffed up her chest, not at all ashamed that she had done so. In her mind, anyone who was ready to attack her trainer deserved what he got.

Ash shook his head, happy to see the loyalty that Pidgeot had for him. He took out an empty Pokéball and threw it at the unconscious Pokémon, the red and white ball sucking it in a red beam of light. The ball started shaking, indicating how the fainted Pokémon was struggling to free from its confinement. Ash stood there, nervous as he always was at the prospect of catching of another Pokémon.

The ball shook. Once. Twice. And thrice before it dinged.

"Yeah!" Ash whooped in delight, having successfully caught Fearow. Sure, he would have some trouble getting it to obey him, but he knew that with Pokémon like Pikachu, Charizard and Sceptile, he could get it done.

He faced Pidgeot once again, getting a look that almost seemed like a deadpan.

"What?"

"Geot Pidge Pidgeot?"

"Yeah…I still do that," he spoke sheepishly, the deadpan that Pidgeot had on her face increased as she thought about the childish habit that her trainer still had, whenever he caught a Pokémon.

Ash himself felt embarrassed as he thought about it. He suddenly realized that it really was a childish habit. It wasn't his fault that he got super excited when he caught a new Pokémon. Still, he decided that it was something that he could work on that in his interlude.

"Anyways," he spoke. "Would you like to stay goodbye to your flock? They are nearby? Aren't they?"

"Pidgeot!" the Bird Pokémon nodded, before she crouched down almost as if giving her trainer an invitation.

"You want me to climb your back? You sure you could carry me? I have grown a lot in these years, you know." Ash commented, getting a glare from his Pokémon in reply. "All right, all right. Geez, you don't have to glare so hard at me, you know."

He got on her back, balancing himself, as he clutched on to her feathers. An evil glint came on the bird's face, as she slowly got higher into the sky. Ash relaxed a bit, slowly getting accustomed to flying on a Pokémon's back.

Pidgeot stopped midair, an act that confused Ash. "You alright girl? Why did you stop?"

He did not get a reply, as Pidgeot zoomed across the sky, her natural instincts making her enjoy the flight. Though the reason for enjoying it also may be because of the extremely unmanly shriek that her trainer was giving.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash stood in the area that he now recognized as the den of the Flying-type flock, surprised that such a remote location with such an abundance of Pokémon was situated near Pallet Town. He sat there, watching as Pidgeot gave a tearful goodbye to her flock. He felt sad, as he saw several of them crying. Sad at the fact that their leader was leaving. However, a few of the other Pidgeots consoled them.

Bidding her last goodbye, Pidgeot turned towards Ash and once again crouched down, giving him the permission to climb on his back. The trainer, somewhat apprehensively, got on the Pokémon's back.

"Um Pidgeot…" he spoke. "Could you go a little slow this time? I know I shouldn't have doubted your flying skills."

"Geot." Pidgeot nodded, before taking flight, albeit this time at a moderate pace. As she flew towards Oak's Corral, Ash couldn't help but feel excited as he thought of how his team was now complete, the only thing waiting was the arrival of his Pokémon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Back in the Corral, the rest of the Pokémon were growing anxious at the absence of their trainer. Even Pikachu seemed worried. They knew that their trainer had made a promise, one which he intended to keep. Yet, for him to be absent for such a long time was something that they hadn't seen before.

Pikachu went to ask Oak and Tracy about him, but Tracy replied that he hadn't seen him. While the Professor replied that Ash had gone to get someone very precious to him, all the while a mysterious smile on his face.

Pikachu truly wanted to shock the hell out of him. He didn't do so only because he had grown from being the immature Mouse Pokémon that he was when he had first encountered the person. That still didn't mean that he wasn't getting pissed.

He was about to go search for him, along with a few others when something dissuaded them.

Or rather someone. The voice of someone.

The voice of someone whom the entire Kanto team recognized.

"PIDGEOT!"

The Bird Pokémon landed beside the lake in a show of elegance, the flapping of her wings minimal, exhibiting her skills in flying. Everyone, bar the Kanto Pokémon, stilled, ready for any kind of conflict. Sceptile had narrowed his eyes, twig still in his mouth, as he checked out the Pokémon.

She was strong. That much he knew, as the innate ability the Pokémon contained helped him in finding out the gender of the Flying Type. Maybe even stronger than him. Something that was enhanced by her type superiority.

Meanwhile, Noctowl and Swellow could do nothing but gaze in shock and awe at the Pokémon before them. They could feel it. This was a bird who had led. A bird who commanded the respect of a flock. A bird who had fought and defended her position as the leader.

Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Kingler and even Muk dashed ahead, surprising the rest of the Pokémon. Their surprise further increased when they saw their trainer jump from behind the back of the Pokémon.

"Hey everyone," he waved at them. "Sorry for being so late. I had to go and get back an old friend." He grinned as he saw his Kanto team interact with Pidgeot. "Now, most of you don't know her. So let me introduce you guys. This is Pidgeot," he said, pointing towards the Bird Pokémon. "She was the second Pokémon that I caught and one that I used in almost every battle in my journey across Kanto. I had to let her go so that she could look after her flock and protect them from a flock of Spearow and Fearow."

"I had promised her that I would return to get her back, and although somewhat late, she agreed to come back to me. So, from now on she will be a part of the team. Why don't you guys come and say hi to her?"

The rest of the group did not have any time to react, as the most exuberant of the group ran towards the large bird. Corphish, not paying heed to others, ran forward and started jumping in front Pidgeot. His action was followed by the rest of the group, who slowly but surely went and introduced themselves. He smiled as he saw the almost fanlike reverence Swellow and Noctowl were showing to Pidgeot. He could also already make out the hint of rivalry forming between Sceptile and Pidgeot.

He shook his head, knowing that he would have to use it without letting it go out of control. His face paled as he realized that Charizard was yet to arrive, and that was without taking into consideration how powerful Primeape had become. Whatever, he would cross the bridge when he reached it.

Now was the time for his team to meet the temporary member.

"Guys and girls," he began. "I know you guys are thrilled to meet Pidgeot. But right now, I want you all to meet another Pokémon that I caught just yesterday. Truth be told, she will stay with us just for a few days until she is healed properly. But I wanted her to have a few friends until she leaves the place."

All of his Pokémon, bar Pikachu, nodded in excitement as they thought about their temporary, yet new friend. Pikachu was somehow keeping a poker face as he thought how his friends would react at the Pokémon's revealing.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, as he enlarged a Pokéball. Getting an excited nod from all his Pokémon, except Pidgeot and Sceptile who simply nodded, Ash threw the ball.

"Go Pokéball," he spoke in a serious tone instead of his usual hyperactive one.

The Pokémon in the clearing didn't have time to notice this though as the Aurora Pokémon appeared, her white streamer-like tails billowing, as though wind was blowing behind it. The only indication that she was injured was the small bandage wrapped around her ankle.

The group stood there, stunned at the presence of the Legendary. They could not believe the fact their trainer had caught one. Sure, they knew that he was a good trainer, but to catch a Legendary, even if it was temporary was huge.

"So, what do you guys think?" Ash asked, as he rubbed Suicune's head affectionately.

The silence continued for a few more moments, as none got the words to reply. This silence was finally broken, although not by anyone in the group.

"Well, this is interesting."

Everyone's eyes snapped in the direction of the speaker, the already widened eyes of the Pokémon widening even further. Ash, Pikachu and even Suicune's eyes widened as they saw the speaker.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N_**

 ** _Hey Guys. Thanks for the follows. I am still sad that I don't have many reviews but the read are so far 6k+._**

 ** _Now I have changed updates from every Sunday to alternate Sundays as I have got some issues and because the plot diverse from next chapter. I might take 2-4 chapters in kanto then Ash will leave for Sinnoh. There might be some mention of Cynthia in next Chapter so it will be keep a look out for it._**

 ** _One more important thing. Do you want me to introduce Tobias Earlier or not and Ash to be The Rainbow Hero. Please PM or review it for these changes. Mega evolution will be Introduced after Later in the story, Now this chapter is approx 12k words so enjoy. Do review more. See you In 2 weeks again with a big chapter_**

 ** _CHAPTER 5_** _-_ ** _A Friend Returns_**

 _Previously :-_

 _The silence continued for a few more moments, as none got the words to reply. This silence was finally broken, although not by anyone in the group._

 _"Well, this is interesting."_

 _Everyone's eyes snapped in the direction of the speaker, the already widened eyes of the Pokémon widening even further. Ash, Pikachu and even Suicune's eyes widened as they saw the speaker._

 _Now :-_

When Ash had first heard the foreign, cold voice, the first thought that ran through his mind was that he was screwed. He looked towards Suicune, who had turned towards the voice immediately, the surprise on her face catching him off guard for a moment. He turned towards the source of the voice, dread filled to his core, already thinking of ways to dissuade the speaker from making the news about Suicune public.

He came up with none.

As he was turning around, he had expected to find maybe a seedy looking guy, or perhaps some ruthless Pokémon hunter. What, or rather, who he saw belied his imagination. He stood there, eyes widened in surprise, looking intently at large bipedal feline-esque Pokémon, and he was sure that it was a Pokémon, as no human could look like that. It had a lavender colored body, pronounced purple tail and stomach, a feline head and a cable connecting the center of its back to its head behind its neck.

It stood there, floating a few feet above the ground, its purple eyes screaming of the power that it held within itself, the kind of power Ash had rarely seen. Whoever it was, it was far more powerful than any of his Pokémon. There was something though, something that told him that maybe he had seen it before, something gnawing at the back of his mind, trying to recognize it.

"It is of no use Ash Ketchum," the Pokémon spoke, although Ash was surprised to see that its mouth didn't move a bit, meaning that he talked using telepathy, something he had experienced before.

"What is of no use?" Ash asked, before continuing, "And who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Beside him, Ash saw Suicune narrowing her eyes at the intruder, her actions emboldening the others to stand beside their trainer, ready to protect him at a moment's notice. An action that wasn't missed by the floating Pokémon, if the smile on his face was any evidence.

"You truly are incredible Ash Ketchum," the voice commented. "Garnering such affection and loyalty from not only your own Pokémon but also from a Legend. You truly have not changed from the last time we met."

"What are you talking about?" Ash demanded, confused at the last statement. "I have never met you before. I would certainly remember you!"

"Ah!" the being seemed amused at this, "You wouldn't remember about that encounter. In fact I'm sure no one remembers about that particular incident."

"What are you talking about?" Ash growled, his anger increasing. "What incident?"

"It would be good for your future if you learn to control the anger that you have," the Pokémon spoke as it slowly set its foot on the ground, putting everyone on guard. "As for what incident I was talking about, it would be prudent if I simply gave you those memories back." He did not say anything as its eyes glowed in an eerie bluish glow.

Ash barely had any time to ask what the hell he was talking about, when suddenly he clutched his head, a headache of epic proportions bringing him down to his knees.

All of his Pokémon shouted their respective names, as they surrounded him, protecting him from the being that had harmed him. Their eyes glared bloody murder at it, as several of them moved to attack.

Only for each one of them to stop in their tracks as a bluish glow surrounded their bodies. The rest of them looked shocked at the sudden turn of events. Pikachu, who was focused on his friend, turned his attention towards the lone Pokémon.

"Pi Pika Pi Pikachu Pika pi Pika!" he shouted.

"Sui Suicune Cune Suicune," the Legendary spoke for the first time, her gritted teeth showing her anger. She had recognized this Pokémon, the various Legendries having talked about him the first time he had fought one of them. At that time, they had simply let him go, deciding not to intercept him because he was not a threat to the world. But now, now she didn't know what she could do. She didn't know if he was a threat or not. And if he was, there wasn't much she could do in her weakened state.

"Your worries are a trivial matter Pikachu, Suicune," he spoke, turning towards each of them. "Right now, what you think as pain is the backlash that Ash is feeling as a result of repressed memories being brought forth. It shall be over in a few seconds. Now, I neither wish to harm your trainer nor you all. So, once I let you go, I expect you to calm down and wait for a few moments."

Through gritted teeth, all of Ash's Pokémon gave a somewhat forceful nod, now knowing what the extent of this beast's power was. Their love for their trainer being the driving force in this case.

The Pokémon brought his arms back, his webbed fingers interlacing as he crossed his arms on his chest. Instantly, the blue force surrounding the Pokémon vanished making them fall to the ground with a loud thud. They turned towards the lone Pokémon, ready to attack once again in defiance, an act that gained a metaphorical raised eyebrow from him.

They stopped instantly when they heard a groan from behind them. All of the Pokémon turned their attention back towards Ash, watching with concern as he stood up gingerly, holding his now lightly throbbing head.

"Ow," he groaned, as he rubbed his forehead trying to will the remnant of the migraine away. Once he felt it had diminished enough, he opened his eyes and was surprised, yet not so surprised, to find all of his Pokémon surrounding him, a concerned expression on their faces.

"Don't worry guys," he consoled them, as he started petting Donphan's head. "It was a minor headache, nothing else." He lied through his teeth. The headache, at one point, felt like it was going to split his head, not that he would make his Pokémon more worried. Not when he had learned so much about the day he had lost, about the way he had 'died'. He gulped at the last part, not wanting to feel that again.

He turned towards the Pokémon, his own Pokémon splitting apart giving him a straight view of perhaps one of the strongest Pokémon across the regions.

"It's good to see you again…" he began in a terse voice. "Mewtwo."

The now recognized Mewtwo did not speak for a moment, before he nodded. "It's good to see you as well, Ash."

All of his Pokémon turned his attention towards him, their shock marred face making them look somewhat hilarious.

"Pika chu Pika Pikachu?" his trusted starter was the first to ask.

"Um…" Ash mused, "How do I tell you guys about that?" An idea clicked in his mind, as he turned back towards Mewtwo, "Mewtwo-"

"It will be done Ash," the Pokémon showed the prowess at his abilities as his eyes already gave off the eerie blue glow. All of his Pokémon blinked as foreign memories of a certain day entered their mind. Several seconds later, all of them turned towards Ash, their eyes brimming in tears as they saw the image of their trainer taking the hit in trying to stop the two titans from fighting further. Of how he got turned to stone and how the love from the Pokémon present there brought him back to life. All of them glared bloody daggers at Mewtwo, one of the two responsible for his state.

"Everyone…" he began once again becoming the center of their attention. "It wasn't Mewtwo's fault," he spoke, getting incredulous looks from almost everyone.

He continued nevertheless, "Mewtwo had been nothing more than an experiment to Team Rocket, who created him to simply be the strongest Pokémon. They must have treated him abhorrently to behave that way, and although that did not justify his actions, it still was a good enough reason. You saw how he changed in the end, how he took care of the cloned Pokémon."

All the Pokémon bowed their heads in shame as the words of their trainer hit home. Ash sighed. "You don't need to be ashamed," he spoke consolingly, "you all don't know how much it means to me that you are ready to stand up to a Pokémon of his caliber."

As his Pokémon perked up hearing that, he turned back towards the genetically created Pokémon, "So, how are you doing Mewtwo? And how are the cloned Pokémon?"

He sat down on the ground, followed by the rest of his Pokémon the larger ones sitting behind him, while the smaller ones all sat in front of him, Pikachu taking his customary place on his left shoulder, Aipom taking his right while Cyndaquil sat on his lap, something that caught Bayleef's ire, if her puffed cheeks were any indication.

Mewtwo raised his non-existent eyebrows at such interaction, before an unbidden smile came on his face. He too decided to get a little comfortable and sat down, cross-legged in front of the assemblage.

"I have been fine Ash," he began. "The cloned Pokémon have been kept at a sanctuary where they are free to grow at their own pace. In the past near five years, quite a few of them have set up families with the local Pokémon in the area and are living peacefully. Many of their children have gone on to get a trainer for themselves, wanting to explore the world."

"It's good to hear that," Ash nodded with a genuine smile.

"I would like to talk to you about the reason for my visit," Mewtwo said, as Ash tilted his head, confusion marring his face.

"Reason?"

"Did you think that I came all the way here just to give you back those memories?" Mewtwo asked rhetorically. Ash smiled sheepishly, rubbing his cheek in response, making the others facefault at his presumption. Had Mewtwo shown the disposition to, he himself would have sweatdropped.

He continued, "Even since my 'inception'," the word spoken somewhat tersely, "I have had limited amount of interaction with the outside world, the New Island incident being the only good one I had with humans. Ever since then I wanted to find my purpose, something that I have been missing. And that is where I need your help."

"My help?" Ash asked, still confused with the entire conversation. "How can I help you?"

"I would like you to be my trainer."

Ash reeled back in shock, trying to see if he had actually heard it. "Ca-can you repeat that?" he asked, his eyes wide with shock. "Did I just hear you say that you wanted me to be your trainer? As in actually capture you? And keep you in a Pokéball, something which I remember you abhor."

"Yes, that is what I meant," Mewtwo gave a short reply.

The rest of his Pokémon were equally stunned by this sudden proclamation. While he had already caught Suicune, it was more of a temporary situation. What Mewtwo was suggesting was more of a permanent situation. Sure, Ash would release him should he ask for it, but seeing the seriousness in his eyes, they could already feel that it would happen way down the line.

Meanwhile, Ash himself was having an internal meltdown. Just yesterday, he was a trainer who had been defeated and taught a lesson. And now he had caught a Legendary, with an even more powerful one wanting to become his Pokémon. There was a question that was running, sprinting in his mind.

"Why?" he whispered. "Why would you want me to be your trainer? I am nothing but an ordinary trainer that has his own dream."

Almost everyone present scoffed at the notion.

"Why not?" Mewtwo spoke, "Currently you are the only human that knows of my existence, and being with you I know will be more beneficial to me than say the Elite level trainers. Being with them will cause me to be a center of attraction, something I would not prefer to be until I am okay with it. Whereas, with you I know I will be able to be freer."

"But, but…" Ash stammered, looking for some reason to dissuade the Pokémon. "You will have to be inside a Pokéball, and eventually battle other Pokémon."

"I don't have any problems with any of that," Mewtwo replied, breaking down all of Ash's reasons. "If fighting another Pokémon will help me in finding my purpose, then I will do so. For the matter of residing in a Pokéball, I am willing to stay for a while if you let me travel whenever I want."

Ash slumped as all of his hastily placed reasons were thrown out of the window. "Do you really want this Mewtwo? I want to know if you really want it."

Mewtwo nodded, "Yes, this is what I wish for."

"If this is what you want," Ash sighed, before an earlier statement struck his mind. "You said that I am the only human that knows about you. What did you mean by that?"

"After the New Island, I erased the memory of my existence from every human and Pokémon that I had encountered, except for the cloned ones. This includes each and every member of Team Rocket."

"So, won't your sudden appearance into the Pokémon circuit…I don't know, break some of those bindings?" Ash asked, trepidation clear in his voice.

"While it might have been possible had I been a normal Psychic Type, my bindings are special in the sense that only a few beings are capable of breaking them," Mewtwo replied, not that much concerned about those bindings.

"And that brings us to another thing," Ash continued. "I don't think you are a registered Pokémon. And there is no way that the officials are going to let me use you in a battle unless you are registered."

"And what will I have to do to be registered?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Ash spoke sheepishly. "Professor Oak may know though."

"Professor Oak?"

"Yup," Ash nodded. "He is the regional professor for Kanto, responsible for providing Pokémon to new trainers. He is also the biggest authority for Pokémon knowledge across the regions. If anyone knows how to do it, it will be him."

"Very well," Mewtwo replied, before standing up once again, an action that Ash and his Pokémon imitated. "I hope you do not disappoint me as a trainer Ash Ketchum."

"I'll try to be a good friend to you Mewtwo," Ash replied, conviction burning in his eyes. He took out a Pokéball, the red and white colored ball shining as sunlight fell on it. "I'll ask you one more time Mewtwo, are you sure about this?" he asked as he enlarged the Pokéball.

"I am confident in my decision Ash."

"Alright then," Ash took a deep breath. "Go Pokéball."

The ball sailed through the air before hitting the Pokémon on the head. It immediately sucked the Psychic Type in a red beam of light, the ball snapping shut even before it fell to the ground. The ball did not even shake a bit, before a ding sounded, signifying a successful capture.

Ash stood there, stunned speechless as the Pokéball just sat there, not so much as twitching. He still was unable to comprehend what had happened. The fact that he had right now caught a Pokémon that wasn't on any known databases wasn't lost on him.

He went towards the Pokéball, gingerly picking it up as though it would break any moment, and looked at it intensely. Finally, he seemed to come to terms with the fact that he had actually caught a Pokémon capable of fighting Mew on equal terms. A familiar feeling crept within his body, the feeling wanting the boy to shout out in joy with his arms stretched as he informed the world how he had caught Mewtwo.

He nimbly squashed it down, knowing that if he was to mature, he would have to get rid of such childish tendencies. He turned towards his friends, and extending the hand containing the Pokéball, gave them a huge smile.

"I guess I caught Mewtwo!" he exclaimed happily.

What followed was a pileup, as all of his Pokémon ran at him. He barely had time when Bayleef jumped at him with a Body Slam, followed by the rest of his Pokémon. As he lay there, beneath his Pokémon, he was simply grateful that the larger ones had not decided to join in.

He didn't think he could survive getting squashed by Snorlax, or Tauros. Although, there was something gnawing at his mind, as though he was forgetting something pretty important.

"ASH KETCHUM!"

And that made him realize what he had forgotten. He extricated himself from the pileup, an extremely difficult task in his opinion, and brushing off the dust, started moving towards the Lab. Only to jump back in surprise when he suddenly found Oak standing in front of him, panic mixed with excitement evident from his expressions.

He did not get time to say anything when he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and shaken vigorously, soon causing stars to appear within his sight.

"What Pokémon did you catch?" Oak almost demanded from the trainer. "How could you catch a Pokémon from within the Corral? You haven't even left since the morning. And now, I suddenly get the notification that you have caught another Pokémon. And not only that, it is a Pokémon that I haven't seen. Ever. Nor is it available in any known databases. So tell me boy who is this Pokémon?"

Ash would have replied, he really would have. But currently, he was trying to gather his wits and tell the Professor to stop shaking him. Even his Pokémon were stunned, as they saw the Pokémon Professor act so bizarrely. However, one recently caught Pokémon seemed to have taken ill to the fact that its trainer was being manhandled and decided to take action.

Professor Oak was surprised when he suddenly found himself floating mid-air, a bluish aura surrounding him. His surprise turned to panic when he looked downwards, only to find the mysterious Pokémon, whose picture he had seen just a few moments ago, staring at him, its eyes showing unbridled fury.

"You will keep your hands off of Ash human, if you know what is best for you," Mewtwo warned the Professor. Oh he already knew who this person was, and while he seemed to have Ash's trust, Mewtwo was still wary of the humans he didn't know about.

As the stars around his head started receding, bringing coherence back to the trainer, he looked around and was surprised to see Mewtwo standing in front of him as though guarding him. He followed his gaze and was once again surprised to find the resident Pokémon Professor, floating mid-air and flailing his arms about trying to free himself from the Psychic constraints.

"Mewtwo, let him go," he shouted in panic, not wanting the Professor to get hurt from falling.

"He was harming you," Mewtwo justified his action, still not letting go of the aforementioned Professor.

"No, he wasn't," Ash sighed. "He was just astonished at finding out that I had caught you and in his surprise didn't control himself. It happens to humans and is a part of their interactions. Now that you get to travel with me, you will understand these things. There will be time when friends hit each other, but that does not mean that they are fighting, it is just the way friends act around each other."

"These human interactions elude me."

"Well…" Ash shrugged. "It's the way we are, I guess. Now could you please let the Professor go? He is the one I told you about. And you can be damn sure that he will not try to harm me."

"Very well," Mewtwo acquiesced, as the Professor was gently brought closer to the ground, right before the Psychic shield vanished when he was a few feet above it making the Professor fall to the ground with a dull thud.

Ash ran towards Oak, giving his hand in helping the Professor get up. Oak meanwhile was cataloging whatever he had seen just a few moments ago, and there was only one word which he could sum everything up.

"Fascinating!" he intoned, his gaze never having left the new Pokémon, something which irked said Pokémon. The Researcher within him had already made several observations in the short period of time that he had seen him, and now he couldn't wait to know more about him.

"Um Professor…" Ash spoke, getting Oak's attention. "Could you please not look at him like that? He doesn't like it."

"Ah! Sorry my boy," Oak replied sheepishly. "It's just that the researcher in me couldn't help but be fascinated by a new Pokémon. Opportunities such as this are rather rare in today's world."

He straightened himself, "Now could you please tell me about your newest friend?"

Ash looked towards Mewtwo, not wanting to give away his secrets. "Only because you find him trustworthy," said Pokémon replied, somewhat hesitantly.

Ash nodded in gratitude, happy that the reclusive Pokémon was showing so much faith in him already. He turned towards Oak.

"Professor," he began, "it is kind of a long story. Would you like to hear it here or do you think we should go inside?"

"Oh! I have no problem staying outside my boy," Oak replied jovially. "In fact I would prefer listening to the tale outside."

"Okay," Ash took a deep breath, recollecting the memories of the day. He sat down, Oak following him as well as most of his Pokémon. Mewtwo floated to a nearby tree and sat down in its shade, his attention shifting to Sceptile whose eyes were focused on him in a challenging tone.

"It happened after I had won my Earth Badge and was on my way home…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Forty minutes.

It took Ash, along with the occasional comments from Mewtwo, to narrate the entire incident to the Pokémon Professor. Oak, meanwhile, had a stoic look on his face as he heard about the entire incident.

He stood up, pacing back and forth, much to the confusion of everyone present. Even Mewtwo didn't know what he was thinking, having asked by Ash to not look in other people's minds on the grounds that it was the invasion of their privacy.

Oak took a deep breath, before turning towards the group. "As far as registering Mewtwo is concerned, you don't need to worry about that. I will do everything that is necessary. I will only need to record his general information, and a small sample of the blood. And even that is not mandatory." He added the last part hastily, when he saw Mewtwo's eyes flash blue for a moment.

"We'll see about that Professor," Ash replied, having himself seen the slight anger the Pokémon showed. "What else do we need to do?"

"The discovery of a new Pokémon will create havoc among the media, so I was thinking about doing it after you left Kanto," Oak spoke thoughtfully. "Wouldn't want any media personnel snooping around the Corral when you will be training. Besides, it's not like I will reveal how I found about Mewtwo. "

"Thanks Professor," Ash spoke, sounding genuinely grateful.

"No problems my boy," Oak waved off the thanks. "But there is one thing that I will have to do." Seeing the curious expression on Ash's face, he elaborated. "I will have to tell Charles about the fact that Team Rocket were able to clone a Pokémon. It doesn't matter that Mewtwo destroyed their lab along with their research. The fact remains that they accomplished something of this level. It also means that they are capable of doing something like that again."

Ash looked thoughtful, while Oak continued, "It's not as if everyone will be knowing about this. I only want the League to be prepared should they accomplish it once again."

"And you think these people at the League are trustworthy?" Mewtwo asked.

"Oh yeah!" Ash interjected. "The League trainers are some of the strongest trainers in the world, some of them, like the Champions, are so strong that there are rarely any trainers who challenge them to a battle. More than that, the Champions are responsible for keeping their regions safe. I know a few of them personally, and I can guarantee you that they will keep this knowledge about the cloning of Pokémon a secret."

Mewtwo seemed to contemplate this for a moment. "If you feel they are trustworthy, I will keep faith in your choice," he spoke before turning towards the Professor. "But the fact that I am Ash's Pokémon must remain a secret."

Oak nodded vigorously, the grave tone scaring the hell out of him. "Don't worry about that. Charles may be somewhat more persistent in finding out about your trainer, but I can handle him." He cleared his throat, trying to cough away the nervousness he was feeling. "Anyways," he spoke once again, "I think it is time we went back to my Lab. I will have to take Mewtwo's general measurement so that I can prepare his Pokédex entry."

Mewtwo looked towards Ash, who gave a simple shrug before getting up to follow the Pokémon Professor, Pikachu still sitting on his shoulders. He stopped abruptly before turning back to his Pokémon.

"You guys be prepared," he began. "Once I make sure everything goes smoothly with Mewtwo, I am going to come back and begin our training. You ready for that?"

All of his Pokémon roared their names out in excitement, ready to prove to their trainer how strong they were. Ash smiled, their excitement making him all the more anxious. He then looked at Suicune, who was looking at the rest of the Pokémon with curiosity.

"Hey Suicune," he called her out. "You want to stay outside or would you like to come inside and rest?"

Suicune seemed to contemplate this for a while before she shook her head.

"Suicune."

Not waiting for acknowledgement, she walked towards the lake behind them and sat on its edge, before closing her eyes though not before she gave one more look to the group of Pokémon behind her.

"It seems she wants to rest outside," Ash commented, before shrugging. He turned towards the Professor, only to find him almost at the entrance of the Lab. He turned when he felt a presence to his right, and wasn't surprised to find Mewtwo standing beside him.

"Shall we go on and get this over with?" Mewtwo asked.

"Don't worry Mewtwo," Ash spoke, "Professor Oak might not look like it, but he is a very intelligent man, and a good person to boot. He won't cause you any harm."

As he started moving towards the Lab, Mewtwo hovering to his side, he remembered of the other person present in the Lab. "Hey Mewtwo, there is another person in the Lab that you must know about."

"I have already registered the presence of another human in this Laboratory. I was going to use my powers to 'suggest' him to take a walk outside when we entered the facility."

Ash winced at that, not wanting his friend to be mentally tampered with. "Um, could you not do that?" he asked nervously. "Tracy is kind of a good friend and he knows about almost everything that happens in the facility. So hiding your existence from him will be more difficult, given that I am going to spend the next four months in Pallet Town and train my Pokémon in the Corral."

Mewtwo did not reply immediately, a fact that scared the trainer somewhat. Finally, he received the most subtle of nods from the Pokémon, one that he would have missed had he not been paying attention.

"Very well, I will give a chance to this other human as well," he spoke getting a sigh of relief from the young trainer as well as the Pokémon resting on his shoulders. "But should he even think about breaking this trust of yours, I will wipe any memories he shall have about me."

Ash sweatdropped at the threat, an action that was imitated by Pikachu. Knowing that he couldn't change the Pokémon's mind, he simply shook his head and entered the Lab. Had he been looking at the Pokémon, he would have seen as his eyes flashed with a bluish color, before it vanished.

"Ash," Mewtwo spoke, as the small group made their way to the examination room. "I think it would be prudent for you to make a call to the Pokémon Rangers in Mount Silver in the next hour."

Ash and Pikachu abruptly turned towards the Psychic Type, the last statement taking them by surprise.

"Pikachu?" the rodent asked.

"Yeah, what do you mean by that?" the trainer asked the same question.

"I'm afraid I cannot give the answer to that," Mewtwo commented, as they finally reached the room where they saw the Oak setting up various machines in order to record the data he would record from Mewtwo.

Mewtwo stopped for a moment, the Lab bringing the memories that he had spent in the Team Rocket Lab, the way the scientists had treated him as though he was nothing more than an experiment.

Ash, surprised to see Mewtwo just standing there on the doorway, moved closer to him.

"You alright Mewtwo?" he asked, his concern finally overcoming his trepidation as he placed a hand on the larger Pokémon's shoulder as an act of comfort.

The sudden touch startled Mewtwo, who shook his head trying to get rid of the errant thoughts. "Yes, I'm fine," he replied as he started moving forward.

"Are you sure?" Ash pushed on, "you spaced out for a while there."

"The Lab simply brought back some memories of my genesis," Mewtwo spoke, without turning towards his trainer.

Ash's eyes softened, sympathizing with the things that the Pokémon must have gone through under 'care' of Team Rocket. He went forward and placed a comforting hand on the Pokémon's shoulder.

"Don't worry Mewtwo," he spoke. "This will be nothing like what you had to suffer under Team Rocket. Besides, Pikachu and I will be there for you. Won't we bud?"

"Pikachu!" the mouse Pokémon nodded.

Mewtwo stood there silently for a few moments, before he gave a curt nod and moved towards the room. Ash looked towards his starter who shrugged, before following the Pokémon into the room. As they entered the room, they were not surprised to find that the cloned Pokémon was standing several feet away from the Pokémon Professor, not a stitch of any kind of emotion on his face. And while he knew that the Pokémon was still wary of Oak, he wasn't going to call out to him. Mewtwo would slowly, yet steadily, give his trust to those who he felt would be worthy. He had accepted him after all. Although he did wince internally when he thought about his supposed 'death' that had gained him that that trust.

As soon as Ash and Pikachu went to stand beside Mewtwo, Oak began recording the data for the cloned Pokémon that would eventually be used to register the Pokémon in the Pokémon database. Ash and Pikachu were extremely excited, having never seen how a new Pokémon was registered.

Half an hour later, that excitement was not ebbed away, as the final recordings were done. They had seen how the Professor had noted down Mewtwo's weight and height and were surprised to find that the Pokémon was deceptively on the heavier spectrum.

Ash had taken the opportunity to measure his own height, having not done so in quite a few years, and was relatively surprised to find himself standing at 5'8", a good height as far as the almost-sixteen year old was concerned. He was even more delighted to find out, courtesy of the Professor, that by the time he reached his twenties he could easily reach 6'.

The rest of the process was routine, though it helped that Mewtwo was able to communicate via telepathy. Most of the questions that Oak asked were truthfully answered by the Pokémon. One small hitch came when Oak had wanted to take a blood sample of the Pokémon. Mewtwo had lashed onto him, using his Psychic powers to levitate the Professor mid-air. He had to eventually let him go when Oak reasoned as to how that would act as a proof about his existence. Mewtwo had begrudgingly allowed the man to take his blood, with a warning, and released him.

Ash was sure he had seen a smirk on the Pokémon's face when Oak had crashed onto the ground. It was then followed by the simple questions of what attacks he knew and what he was capable of learning.

All of the residents were stumped when he had answered that question. His own arsenal, while limited, contained attacks that were considered among the strongest. The most powerful of them being **_Psystrike,_** which Oak informed was capable of causing physical damage and was automatically enhanced due to Mewtwo's Psychic Typing. A few other were **_Psychic, Aura Sphere, Psyshock, Giga Impact and Thunder._**

Although what had the entire room was stumped was the small comment that he had added in the end. He had informed them as to he had overheard the Team Rocket scientists saying that since he was made from Mew's cells, he was capable of learning almost the known Pokémon moves.

He further pointed out how he had learned each of his moves with comparative ease, further taking the people and only other Pokémon in the room by further surprise. Although he did point out that he had tried and failed to learn any Dragon Type moves, justifying that he did not feel any kind of Draconic powers that he could use within him to learn them. That gave them some sort of relief.

A Pokémon capable of learning every possible move could have some very serious implications in the Pokémon world. Ash and Oak, in consultation with Mewtwo, had decided that they would check this claim in the training period. Ash, and even Mewtwo seemed excited at this. Ash because he knew what he was going to do with Mewtwo, and Mewtwo because he was getting the chance to learn his true potential.

As the final measurements were being taken, Mewtwo turned towards Ash.

"Did you not have a phone call to make?"

Ash stood there with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, both perplexed by the Psychic Type Pokémon's words. Something clicked in the back of his mind, something which Mewtwo had told him to do. Sheepishly, he turned towards Oak, who was entering all the data into his computer.

"Professor, do you think I could use your phone to make another call?"

Oak, not diverting his attention from the computer, waved him off. "Sure, sure my boy. Go on ahead." He immediately went back to his current work.

Ash shrugged, before turning towards Mewtwo. "Will you be alright in here?"

"I shall be fine Ash." Mewtwo 'spoke'. "Now go and make the call."

Seeing the urgency behind this command, he quickly left the room and made his way towards the main Lab, which held the videophone. He took out his Pokédex, which contained the various numbers that he had stored during his travels, and searched for a particular one. Finding it, he dialed the number and waited for a few seconds as it rang, before being finally answered by a pretty, green haired, green eyed woman, who was wearing a familiar orange colored jacket with a black undershirt.

"Hello, this is the Pokémon Ranger Station in Mount Silver. This is Elizabeth. Who may I know is calling?"

Ash could hear, and see, the slight huddling of the Rangers behind Elizabeth, before he turned his attention back to the Ranger in front of him. A slight tingling went through his body, his face gaining a slight tinge of red on it as he gazed at the pretty Ranger. He didn't understand why this was happening, so he immediately shook his head, concentrating on the person.

"Ah…sorry. My name is Ash Ketchum and I was hoping I could talk to Ranger Mason," he spoke trying, and failing, at keeping his blush down. He didn't know how, but the woman was making him feel slightly warm from the inside.

The Ranger smiled, deciding not to pay attention to the blush he had on his face. "Sure, let me get her. Could you wait for a few moments?"

"Sure!" Ash exclaimed, getting a round of giggles as the Ranger disappeared from the screen. He turned towards Pikachu, wiping the bead of sweat that had formed on his forehead. "Hey bud, do you know what happened to me when I saw that Ranger? I was suddenly feeling warm from the inside."

Pikachu gave Ash an incredulous look. 'Of course he wouldn't understand what was happening to him. I swear I have the densest trainer in the world.'

Ash didn't get to say any further as a familiar red headed Ranger in a similar orange colored sleeveless jacket came in front of the screen. Though he could feel that she had come from some kind of conflict.

"Hey Ash, long time no see. You too Pikachu. How are you both?" Pokémon Ranger Mason asked.

"Good to see you too Ranger Mason. I'm fine here, what about you? You seem a little bedraggled." Ash asked, a small amount of concern making way to his face.

"Pi Pikachu!" the rodent Pokémon nodded as well from Ash's shoulder.

"It's nothing Ash," Mason waved him off. "Just a local Larvitar causing some problems. Don't worry-"

She was interrupted mid-speech when a loud shout of "LARVITAR!" came from behind her. She jumped back in surprise, before the deceptively heavy Pokémon jumped on her. Reflexes coming into action, she swept the Pokémon into her lap with a grunt before turning back towards the screen, giving Ash the glimpse of the Pokémon she held in her arms.

It was a small, green reptilian Pokémon with what seemed to be a rocky skin. It had a blunt spike on top of its head, a short, rounded snout, and triangular, black markings below and on the upper corners of its red eyes. Red scales covered its diamond-shaped belly, and there were several small holes in its body. Its short arms were lacking any fingers, while its feet had a single toenail each. It has a tail with a conical center surrounded by a ring of plate-like scales.

Ash winced in sympathy for the elder Pokémon Ranger as he recognized the Pokémon, having taken care of one for a short while in his Johto journey and knowing how the small Pokémon was deceptively heavy. The Larvitar in front of the screen locked eyes with for a brief second, before a wide smile made way to his face and it started waving at Ash, all the while waving his arms frantically.

Ash and Pikachu were both stumped, not knowing why the Pokémon was reacting to them in such a manner, before realization struck them.

"Larvitar!" Ash exclaimed. "Is that you bud?"

"Lar Larvitar!" Larvitar chanted its name frantically, the already wide smile widening even further, something that neither Ash nor Pikachu thought was possible. Seeing the smile on the Pokémon's face, they couldn't help but smile as well.

"It's so good to see you Larvitar!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded in consent.

"Lar Larvitar Vitar Larvitar!" Larvitar continued, gesturing back and forth between them.

Ash gained a slow inkling as to what he was trying to say, and if the large grin on Pikachu's face was any evidence, even he was coming to the same conclusion. He didn't get to vocalize his thoughts, as Ranger Mason interrupted them both.

"Now hold it right there Ash!" she spoke, "what is going on over here? How do you know this Larvitar?"

"Don't you remember Ranger?" Ash asked incredulously, a look that was mimicked by Pikachu. "He is the Larvitar that I brought with me to unite with his mother. Although I still cannot believe that he remembers me."

"Lar Larvitar!" the young Pokémon shouted, indignant that he would forget Ash.

"I wasn't implying that you would forget me bud," Ash soothed the Pokémon. "I just thought that you would be focused with your mother."

"Oh!" Ranger Mason exclaimed sheepishly. "Sorry about that. This young one has been troubling us for a while. He just comes here every day and starts talking. We take him back to the Reserve, but he comes back and basically starts shouting at us. I just don't know what to do with this guy."

She groaned as she finished telling her problem. Ash, who already was having a suspicion, couldn't control himself any further and looked at Larvitar.

"Larvitar, do you want to join me in my journey?"

The Ranger's groaning came to an abrupt stop, and she turned towards Ash, her eyes narrowed. She was about to chastise him and tell him how Pokémon at Mount Silver were protected species and how trainers were forbidden from catching them, unless given express permission from the League. However, the reaction from the Pokémon sitting on her lap immediately dissuaded her from taking the course of action.

"LARVITAR!" the small Pokémon shouted out loud, before he started jumping up and down in joy, gaining several grunts of pain from the afore mentioned Ranger.

Mason quickly got hold of the Pokémon, not wanting her legs to be squashed under his weight, and placed him on the table in front of the phone. Taking a deep breath, she tried to think of any way to try and dissuade the Pokémon from going to the trainer, and unfortunately found none. She took note of the happiness that the Pokémon exuded as the duo in the screen had joined in showing their joy at finding a new member for their team. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the various promises Ash made to the small Pokémon. She realized that if there was someone who truly deserved the Pokémon, then it was this guy. A trainer who had travelled so far just to unite a mother and child, where others would have simply kept said Pokémon for their own use.

"Ash," she began, getting all of their attention. "You know that Mount Silver is a reserve where it is illegal to catch Pokémon, due to them being a protected species." She raised her hands to prevent him from speaking up. "However, the fact that it is Larvitar that wants to go with you which binds us. We cannot prevent that. Therefore, I shall allow you to have Larvitar."

She did not have time to say any further as both Ash and Pikachu started thanking her profusely, repeatedly saying that he would take extreme care of Larvitar and how happy they were due to her decision. She did have the time to prevent the Pokémon sitting in front of her from leaping at her. She did now want to have bruises from the collision.

"There are a few conditions though," she spoke. Seeing that they had stopped speaking and were looking at her intently, she continued, "I will need regular updates from you regarding his condition. Moreover, I will need updates from Professor Oak to act as a proof that you are treating him carefully. I know that you are a good trainer and would never harm Larvitar, it is a necessary formality for any trainer that gets Pokémon from the Reserve."

"It's all right Ranger Mason," Ash nodded. "I will inform Professor about this. Besides, I am staying in Pallet for the next four months. I hope that long will be enough to clear everything?"

"It might be…" the Pokémon Ranger mused, tapping her chin. "It will take a couple of months more than that, but if you treat Larvitar nicely, it will be a mere formality."

Ash's face brightened as he heard the news. "That's great, Ranger Mason. I promise that I will treat Larvitar nicely. Anyways, how do you intend to send Larvitar?"

"There are Pokéballs over here Ash," Mason commented dryly. "I will capture him using one and send him to you via the PC. Now hold on, I am fetching the ball."

Not waiting for a reply, Mason got up and went away, causing Ash to refocus on Larvitar.

"Hey bud, he began. "I cannot wait for you to come here. There are so many things that I am dying to show you."

"Lar Larvitar!" the small Pokémon bobbed its head up and down, his enthusiasm evident on his face.

Several seconds later, Ranger Mason reappeared in front of the screen, a standard Pokéball in her hand. She looked at Larvitar once again. "I am asking you one more time Larvitar, are you sure about this?"

"Larvitar!" the Pokémon nodded resolutely.

Sighing, Mason tapped the center of the ball on Larvitar's head, the Pokémon sucked into the Pokéball in a red beam of light. Not a second later, the ball dinged showing a successful capture. She turned her attention to the screen, back towards Ash.

"Alright Ash," she began. "Is your phone connected to the transfer system?"

"Yep," Ash replied, barely holding his excitement back.

"Then be ready, I am sending Larvitar to you," she continued. Behind the phone, she placed the ball on the transfer machine and watched as it disappeared in a white stream of electricity.

Back on the phone, Ash turned his attention towards the transfer machine, waiting for the newest member of his team. He wasn't disappointed when a Pokéball appeared in a white flash of electricity. He gingerly picked it up, and was about to release Larvitar when Mason interrupted him.

"Ash, the ball that I used is one used only by Rangers." She spoke, catching the trainer's attention. "Once you call Larvitar, the ball will destroy itself. You will then have to re-capture him so that he is registered as your Pokémon."

"It's all right Ranger Mason," Ash commented, before he called Larvitar out. The Rock Skin Pokémon appeared in a white flash, the Pokéball disintegrating not a second later. He stood there, confused for a few moments, before his eyes landed on Ash and Pikachu.

"LARVITAR!" Squealing in delight, Larvitar jumped on Ash. Knowing how heavy he could be, Ash braced for impact and was not surprised when Larvitar barreled into him, though the force of the impact did. He did not remember Larvitar being this heavy.

He gently patted the Pokémon on his head, before turning towards the phone. "I got him Mason. And don't worry about him. I promise to take good care of him. He is after all one of my Pokémons."

"I am placing my faith in you Ash," Mason spoke. "Don't make me come to regret it."

"You won't," Ash spoke resolutely. "Anyways, thank you for your help. I'll be in regular contact with you and keep you updated about Larvitar."

"See that you do, Ash. Anyways, I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Ranger Mason."

"Pi Pika Chu!"

"Larvitar!"

The trio waved her off as the screen blinked as the connection was broken. Ash turned his attention back towards Larvitar, who himself had a grin on his face.

"So Larvitar, ready to become my Pokémon?" Ash asked rhetorically.

"LARVITAR!" the Pokémon nodded, not wanting to wait any further.

"Then here goes," Ash took out one of his unused Pokéballs, and enlarging it tapped it on the Pokémon's head, once again sucking him in a red beam of light.

The ball immediately dinged, showing a successful capture.

Ash gazed at the Pokéball before giving it a small peck. "Welcome to the family Larvitar."

"It seems you have gained a new Pokémon," a familiar voice came from behind them, startling those in the room. Ash turned in the direction of the voice and was surprised to find Mewtwo standing in front of the door.

"Yeah," Ash spoke, rubbing the back of his head. "Larvitar is actually an old friend. I helped him reunite with his mother when he was separated as an egg." He blinked a few times as he realized something. "You made me call them for that reason, didn't you?"

The smirk that Mewtwo had on his face was all the answer that he needed. Shaking his head, Ash continued his questioning, "How did you know that Larvitar wanted to come to me?"

"You seem to forget that I was made as an impression of Mew, and it is supposed to have Psychic powers that transcend any known Pokémon. So, it wasn't unfeasible that I could hear Larvitar call out your name repeatedly." Mewtwo explained to a wide-eyed Ash.

"Wow!" Ash breathed in awe. Quickly recomposing himself, he spoke again. "Thank you Mewtwo. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Your thank you is unnecessary Ash." Mewtwo spoke. "You are my trainer and it is my duty to see that anyone who wants to be with you does so."

"You need to lighten up Mewtwo," Ash sighed. Seeing the confusion on his face, Ash elaborated, "While it is true that you are my Pokémon, it doesn't mean that you need to act subservient to me. All my Pokémon are my friend and they are treated as such. This includes you as well."

Nodding in reply, the trio slowly made their way out of the room, and were eventually joined by Professor Oak, who looked like he had struck a goldmine. When asking the reason for his expression, he simply replied that he had completed the Pokédex entry for Mewtwo and that he couldn't wait to tell the world about Mewtwo.

As they made their way into the Corral, there was a question that was nagging Ash. He therefore decided to ask the Professor about it.

"Hey Professor?" he asked, getting Oak's attention. "Is there any way that I can check what moves my Pokémon know? Tracy hinted that they had learned new attacks, but I don't want to simply ask them to demonstrate in case it is a dangerous one."

Oak blinked in surprise, before he spoke. "You mean you don't scan your Pokémon for the moves that they know?"

"Huh?" Ash replied eloquently.

"Ash," Oak asked. Slowly. "You know that the Pokédex allows you to scan for your Pokémon's moves, don't you?"

"Um…no?" Ash replied, scratching his cheek with his index finger, as his face burned crimson due to embarrassment.

Oak sighed. 'I have a lot to teach this kid' he thought.

"Give me your Dex," Oak spoke, extending his right arm. Ash took out his Pokédex and placed it on the Professor's outstretched hand. Eventually, they reached near the lakeside where all of Ash's Pokémon were resting. Seeing their trainer come, all of them jumped to their feet, although a few of them were still unnerved by Mewtwo.

Opening the touchscreen display, he pointed it towards Kingler.

" ** _Kingler, the Pincer Pokémon. Kingler has an enormous, oversized claw. It waves this huge claw in the air to communicate with others. However, because the claw is so heavy, the Pokémon quickly tires. This Kingler is male and has the abilities Hyper Cutter and Sheer Force. This Kingler knows the moves Bubble Beam, Metal Claw, Iron Defense, Protect, Guillotine, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam and Rain Dance."_**

Ash stood there, transfixed, at what had happened. He was ready to bet his entire earnings from the Battle Frontier that Dexter had never given this elaborate information about the Pokémon. The next thing that had him in a bind was the attacks that Kingler knew. The last time he checked, Kingler did not know these attacks. And what the hell were the abilities?

Seeing his scrunched up face, Oak decided to intervene. "Your Pokédex had the facility that it allows you to scan a Pokémon you have captured to find out whatever moves it knows. However, it seems that somehow yours was disabled to simply show the basic data. As you can see I have enabled it. So, now whenever you catch a Pokémon and scan it, it will show all the data."

"Um…Professor," Ash spoke, as he made his way towards Kingler in order to congratulate him. The fact that he had learned those moves by himself was commendable and he wanted to show it to the Pokémon. "Dexter pointed out something about abilities." Ash continued, as he reached out to pet Kingler. "I don't understand what it meant." Now he realized how much he depended on Brock and his trove of knowledge.

As the Pokémon went to surround Ash, Oak elaborated. "Each Pokémon has an ability inherent to its species, the ability granting it some advantage. For example, your Kingler has the ability Hyper Cutter. This makes it impossible for your opponents to lower the strength behind his attack."

"But what about his second ability then?" Ash interrupted. "You said that each Pokémon has an ability. But Kingler has two. How can that happen?"

Oak did not seem affected by the interruption, and continued, "The second ability is something that we professors are calling the hidden ability. This ability, as the name suggests, is hidden within the Pokémon. Only when a certain criteria is met, does this ability manifest itself and becomes a normal ability. What the criteria is and how it is met is still a mystery, one that several Professors across the regions are trying to figure out."

"It is quite rare to find Pokémon who have unlocked their hidden ability, truth be told," Oak continued, he also seemed surprised that Kingler had his hidden ability unlocked. "Kingler's hidden ability Sheer Force means that any attack that has a secondary effect gains more power but loses its effect."

"Wow" Ash intoned, before turning towards Kingler, who was busy producing bubbles from his mouth. "You are a powerful Pokémon Kingler. And the moves that you know…I cannot say how proud I am of you."

"Koki Ko Koki!" Kingler gargled.

"Anyways Ash," Oak interrupted, "is there anything else that you need me for?"

"Not right now Professor." Ash spoke. "I am going to spend the rest of the day seeing what my Pokémon know and start their training. Though I might need your help later."

"In that case I will be in my lab," Oak commented before he started moving back towards his lab. "Feel free to call for me if you need anything."

"Thanks Professor," Ash waved him off before turning towards his Pokémon, all of whom seemed excited at the prospect of training.

"Now that everything is sorted out, I think we should begin our training. What do you all think?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Therefore, he wasn't surprised when all of them shouted in affirmative.

"Good. Now, for the rest of the day I am going to some mock-battles so that I can understand your skill levels, and then I can set up a training schedule for you all. You all ready?"

The collective shouts was all the affirmation he needed. He subconsciously ran his hand over the Pokédex, as he saw Mewtwo and Suicune stand off somewhat away from everyone. He then saw the challenging glint that Sceptile threw at Pidgeot, a look that was reciprocated.

He pondered who he should start the proceedings with, before finally coming to a decision.

"The first battle will be between Kingler and Totodile," he began, getting some groans from the rest of the Pokémon. "Don't be like that guys and girls," the last part added hastily, "I told you that will fight everyone, didn't I? Besides we have the rest of the day for that."

All of them acquiesced to his reasoning and parted away, emptying a large enough area to create a makeshift arena for battle. Everyone seemed pumped to see a battle, even Suicune and Mewtwo, although their interest was nicely guarded.

Ash turned his attention towards the duo who were standing in front of him, ready for his orders. "I am going to use Kingler in the fight," he pointed out to the Water-Type, who clicked his pincers in happiness. "Totodile, I want you to fight on your own. I want to see how you can handle yourself. Okay?"

"Toto Totodile," the Big Jaw Pokémon replied, right before it started his customary dance.

Ash shook his head at his Pokémon's antics. Previously, he would have been embarrassed at this, but now he understood how Totodile showed his happiness. And there was no way in hell that he would prevent this from happening. He then pointed his Pokédex towards him, wanting to know what new things the Water-Type had learned.

" ** _Totodile, the Big Jaw Pokémon. Despite the smallness of its body, Totodile's jaws are very powerful. While the Pokémon may think it is just playfully nipping, its bite has enough power to cause serious injury. This Totodile is male and has the ability Torrent. Totodile knows the moves Crunch, Ice Fang, Slash, Water Gun, Headbutt, Scary Face and Dragon Dance. Note: Dragon Dance is an egg move."_**

Ash really felt that he was going to faint on the spot. Not only had Totodile enhanced his previous moves, but had gone on to learn moves like Dragon Dance and Ice Fang, the previous one of which really stumped the trainer. Although, when he thought about it, the 'dance' that Totodile usually did could act as a precursor for the move. He refocused his attention back on the Pokémon.

"You really outdid anything I had thought of you Totodile," Ash commented, getting another jig from the Pokémon. "Now, let's see how well you can do by yourself. You ready?"

"Totodile!" the Pokémon nodded. Right before it started dancing, gaining sweatdrops from almost everyone.

Ash made his way to one end of the clearing, Kingler standing in front of him, while Totodile went to stand across them, on the other end. Seeing that they were lacking a referee, Pikachu went to stand in the middle of the sidelines. He raised both his arms up, before turning towards each of the competitor, both of whom nodded.

Pikachu had barely brought his hands down before Totodile moved, the speed of the Pokémon taking Ash completely by surprise. His surprise did not last long as he saw the Pokémon's claws lengthen with a white glow on them.

"Kingler, Iron Defense!"

Ash himself winced as he heard his voice. 'Damn I have to take care of that as well,' he thought, before focusing his attention on the field.

Kingler's body shined brightly, before the light died down. Not a second later, his elongated claws cut across the Pincer Pokémon, gaining a wince of pain from the attack. As Totodile jumped back, Ash decided to go on the offensive.

"Attack with Crabhammer Kingler!" Kingler moved forward, his pincers glowing white as energy was stored in them. He was about to hit the water type, when Totodile danced his way out of the attack. The surprise on Ash's face increased when Totodile was suddenly encased in a turquoise aura. He cursed as he suddenly realized that the small Pokémon had used Dragon Dance to boost his speed, and most probably attack.

"Kingler, Guillotine!" he shouted out loud, knowing he had to finish the match quickly. Kingler responded instantly, moving forward to grab the Water Type in his pincers. In another surprise, Totodile dodged the attack, by using Water Gun on the ground.

"Kingler, Hyper Beam!" the sudden attack caught Totodile by surprise, and he could do nothing as the yellow-orange beam collided with him. Totodile cried out in pain, before crashing on the ground, creating a dust of cloud. Ash waited for the cloud to dissipate, worrying that maybe he had gone too far.

He was proved wrong when Totodile jumped out of the cloud, albeit with severe burns on his body, and charged headfirst into Kingler. Unable to do anything due to the effect of Hyper Beam, Kingler cried out in pain as the Headbutt hit him, sending him back several paces. Totodile did not wait another moment and charged once again, his teeth glowing with an icy aura.

"Kingler, use Protect!" Ash shouted out loud, as he realized the Ice Fang. Totodile had almost reached Kingler when he was surrounded by a vibrant green dome, protecting him from the Ice Type attack. Ash was happy to see though that the force of the attack was pushing Kingler back, and he could see Kingler panting from the effort to keep the shield up.

"Kingler, finish it up with Hyper Beam!" Letting go of the Protect, Kingler fired another Hyper Beam, the attack hitting Totodile point blank.

"Dile!" the Water Type cried out in pain, as he was blasted towards the ground. Ash stood there, worry evident on his face for his Johto Starter. He was about to move towards him when the dust cloud dissipated to reveal a heavily injured, yet still standing Totodile.

"Totodile, I think I have gauged Kingler's and your skill level," Ash spoke out loud, getting the Pokémon's attention. "Why don't you and Kingler rest for a while. You two did great."

Totodile, forgetting his state of exhaustion, started doing his usual dance, gaining laughs from several of the Pokémon available.

"Great job Kingler," Ash commented as he petted the Pincer Pokémon, "I can't wait to train more with you and make you even stronger."

"Koki Koki!" Kingler clicked his pincers, before moving off to the side. Ash smiled before turning towards Totodile. He gasped as he saw the scene before him, the reaction copied by almost all the Pokémon.

Totodile was suddenly enveloped in a mesmerizing white light. His body began to grow, with the body gaining a bit of girth. His long snout gained a more rounded shape, while spiky protrusions grew on his head. His tail grew a little longer, with the triangular spike on its end gaining a diamond-like shape.

As the light finally died down, Ash couldn't help but smile at the Pokémon that had taken Totodile's place.

"Cro Croconaw!" Croconaw squealed, before it started his usual dancing.

"You evolved into Croconaw!" Ash shouted in utter joy. All of his Pokémon joined in congratulating the newly evolved Croconaw, as Ash took out his Pokédex.

" ** _Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokémon. Croconaw is the evolved form of Totodile. Once Croconaw has clamped its jaws on its foe, it will absolutely not let go. Because the tips of its fangs are forked back like barbed fishhooks, they become impossible to remove when they have sunk in. Note: this recently evolved Croconaw has the ability to use the move Water Pulse."_**

"Well, damn..." Ash commented. "Did you hear that Croconaw? Water Pulse. That is a damn good move."

"Croco Croconaw!" Croconaw exclaimed, regaining his usual dance.

"All right everyone," Ash called out, "Now the next battle is going to be between…"

XXXXXXXXX

Ash made his way towards his home, the entire day having sapped him of his energy. He couldn't believe how much his old Pokémon had grown in his absence. The number of moves they had learned, while limited were extremely powerful. And the growth in their skills was beyond what he had imagined. There were still a few things that he needed to sort out, but he thought that the next four months would be enough for that.

He thought about the few hours that Oak had spent, teaching about the various facets regarding Pokémon. He couldn't believe how less knowledge he truly had about Pokémon. The professor had to teach him from the basics, although given the fact that he was so accustomed to Pokémon, he was easily grasping the concepts, a fact that Oak seemed rather happy about.

He remembered how he had decided to let Pikachu and Mewtwo stay in the Corral to allow him to bond with the rest of his Pokémon, while Pikachu just wanted to stay with the rest of them. As his home came into view, Ash couldn't help but quicken his pace, remembering about the cooking that he had to do with his mother.

"I'm home," he shouted as he entered his home.

"In here Ash," Delia's voice came from the kitchen, and without giving another thought Ash made his way towards said room.

As he entered, he saw his mother sitting on a chair, reading a book. Her attention immediately turned towards him, a smile making way on her face. The smile immediately waned a bit when she saw his disheveled state.

"How was your day honey?" she asked, as she placed the magazine away.

"It was great!" Ash exclaimed. "I cannot believe how much the rest of my Pokémon have improved in my absence. Makes me feel bad that I neglected them for so long. But still, that was in the past and I have already started to rectify that…"

The conversation soon turned out a bit long as Ash narrated his entire day, including his encounter with Mewtwo, although he did keep out the fact that he had died. He did not want to face his mother's wrath for that particular incident. Delia was stumped to hear about Mewtwo and how he had decided to join Ash. That made two Legendries in two days.

She then shooed him away, wanting him clean for the cooking lesson. After a quick bath, Ash was back in the kitchen, learning skills from his mother. He could easily say that it was one of the highlights of his day. As a young child, like any other child, he was embarrassed whenever his mother showed him love in public. But now that he was mature, or so he thought, he appreciated the time he spent with her. From the way she taught him the methodical way to create food, to the creativity involved in it. The banter that they did was also appreciated. For the first time, he saw her more as a friend than as a mother and felt that he could easily share his thoughts with her.

The lesson went on till the actual food was prepared, and they spent dinner eating in a comfortable silence. As the dishes were being taken away, courtesy of Mr. Mime, Delia called Ash into the living room.

As he sat down, he failed to notice the Psychic pressure applied on him by Mr. Mime. He also failed to notice the mischievous smile that Delia had on her face as she picked a book from the book shelf. It was only when the book was placed on the table in front of him that he paid attention to it.

The orange colored book, with the picture of a boy running after a girl and with the title 'Make out Paradise', made him want to run away from the room for unknown reasons. His instincts blared for him to run away when Delia gave a creepy giggle.

"Um…what is it mom?" he asked, as sweat began to cover his face. He tried to get up, but suddenly realized that he couldn't stand up.

"Ash…" Delia began, "this is a conversation that I think has been withheld too long."

The beads of sweat turned to rivulets on Ash's face as he suddenly started feeling warm from within for some unknown reason.

"I think it's time we had The Talk."

XXXXXXXXXX

Two hours later, a completely embarrassed, red-faced and mortified Ash Ketchum lay on his bed, with only one thought on his mind.

'I just hope Mewtwo can erase this memory.'


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Surprises, Embarrassment And Problems

 _Previously:-_

 _"Ash…" Delia began, "this is a conversation that I think has been withheld too long."_

 _The beads of sweat turned to rivulets on Ash's face as he suddenly started feeling warm from within for some unknown reason._

 _"I think it's time we had The Talk."_

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

 _Two hours later, a completely embarrassed, red-faced and mortified Ash Ketchum lay on his bed, with only one thought on his mind._

 _'I just hope Mewtwo can erase this memory.'_

Now:-

The next Morning we see a very Embarrassed Ash and Giggling Delia at the table where the deed was done By the Mother.

"So Ashy did you have a good night Sleep" Delia Asked a very Red-Faced Teen.

"Yeah Mom, I had the…" Ash tried to reply sarcastically but was suddenly cut off by her Mother.

"Best Dream about your mother huh Ashy" Delia Chortled

Ash somehow managed to go much more redder before muttering something intangible in frustration and embarrassment.

Delia just laughed more at his son's face.

Ash saw it was almost 6:45 so deciding to leave early so he can ask Mewtwo to Erase everything of previous night.

"Goodbye Mom will see you in the evening" Ash hurriedly told his mom and practically ran out of his house like Pikachu using Quick Attack.

Delia just giggled more and told to herself "Oh Ashy! You don't know but its only the beginning."

XXXXXXXX

After reaching Lab in a Records Time he quickly went to the corral and saw Mewtwo already awoke and was conversing with Suicune.

"Hey guys how are you doing?" Ash asked

"We are doing just fine Ash. I feel you require my assistant with something." The Genetic Pokemon stated.

"Yeah we will get to that in a moment Mewtwo but first, Suicune can you go wake up Bulbasaur so he can wake up all the other Pokemon." Ash asked.

"Suicune" was the only reply from the Aurora Pokemon.

"So Mewtwo can you do me a favor. Please erase my memory from yesterday night to till today's morning please I request you." The now Red-faced trainer said to the Genetic Pokemon.

Mewtwo was shocked at hearing such request from his new trainer and quickly confronted him

"Why would you want your Memory be erased?" the Genetic Pokemon asked his Trainer.

Ash immediately replied

"I can't tell you the reason Mewtwo but please I beg of you to do it."

Mewtwo just thought

'You know I will have to see the memory for it anyway. It can't be that bad'

"Fine Ash I will do it, but I warn you I will have to see the memory to."

Ash just Nodded in acceptance.

Mewtwo then Proceeded to see the memory.

Suddenly there was a rise in Psychic energy in Air and everyone in the corral heard the telepathic voice of Mewtwo which sounded very embarrassed.

"Why will you show me that Ash? I don't need a lesson on Human Mating Rituals. You need it more than me it's Not a Joke."

"Please Mewtwo I beg you to erase that Memory from or else I would never get a good night sleep forever." Ash begged the Genetic Pokemon.

Suddenly there was heard laughter from behind him and Ash turned to see Professor Oak with Tracy laughing while holding there stomach so hard that tears were gathered in their eyes.

"Come on Guys this is not Funny" Ash moaned out feeling his face going Read.

Tracy only laughed more with many snickers coming from Ash Pokemon to.

Ash had never felt so embarrassed in his life before and glared at a snickering Mewtwo.

Mewtwo looking at Ash face only replied to the trainer.

"Come on Ash, you only told me in your own words 'To lighten up'"

Ash felt his face got heat up and looked away from embarrassment earning a few more snickers.

Ash thought to himself 'This is going to be a long day.'

XXXXXXXXX

After an hour of pestering Mewtwo, Ash was finally dragged by a snickering Professor Oak to start with his teaching.

"Now Ash I will leave you off the hook for today as I understand your Delia has finally gone through that thick skull of your. I understand how you feel as I have been in your place" Oak shuddered with the memory of his mother giving him 'The Talk'.

"But it certainly doesn't mean that I will go easy with your first lesson. So Ash I inform you again, if I feel you are not committed to the lessons I teach then I will stop your teaching at once. Do you understand?" The Professor told rhetorically.

"I understand professor and don't you worry I will do my best to learn everything from you as possible."

"Good, good that's all I need my boy now for your first lesson – "The professor was suddenly cut off by a loud roar of Pokemon.

Ash muttered to himself "Here it comes"

And surely all the Pokémon of Ash are found snickering at their trainer demise on the tradional greeting by the fire lizard pokemon.

"Hello Charizard, I see your flamethrower has gotten stronger" Ash greeted now grinning kantonian starter.

Ash suddenly notice a pinkish serpent like pokemon with large green eyes and white underbelly wrapped around Charizard neck.

Ash recoiled in shock on seeing the shiny version of the base form of kanto Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon.

"Charizard how did you managed to find Dratini?" Ash asked his Pseudo-Dragon pokemon.

The only response that Ash received was a series of growls from the lizard pokemon.

"Ummm- Ohh Mewtwo can you please translate what Charizard said for me?" Ash asked the Genetic Pokemon.

"Sure Ash. Charizard here means to tell that he saved this young Dratini from a group of Sharpedos. On saving her, he was informed by her that how a trainer had captured her mother and she had escaped in nick of time to avoid capture but had ultimately ran into the group of Sharpedos. Charizard Decided to help the young one and so he tried to find the trainer to pestering him to release the young ones mother but couldn't find him so decided to bring her here with him" Mewtwo explained telepathically to Ash, his pokemon and Professor Oak

This caused a trill of surprise from the shiny pokemon and a look from the fire lizard.

Ash then decided to introduce only to cut off before he can speak -

"Ash I suggest you wait till your other 2 pokemon before you don't have to explain it again." Told Mewtwo.

"Fine but let's introduce him to 'her'" Ash told with a ear splitting grin.

Mewtwo and other pokemon only looked at each and gave snickers causing Charizard to Growl Threateningly.

XXXXXXXXX

To say Charizard was shocked was the understatement of the year which caused all the pokemon to chortled at the now gaping lizard.

Professor Oak was no getting ramped up and decided to take initiative himself and called Ash over.

"Listen Ash now for your first Task I give you this book which tells about all the types and abilities know to us researchers. I give you 1 whole week to read this and after this I will conduct a test to see how you have progressed."

"Sure Professor –"But was abruptly cut off by Professor again

"I want you to dedicate time on both training and theory as the exam will be both theoretical and practical to. I suggest you start theory tonight as some of your pokemon are coming today am I right."

"Thanks Professor I will first go and see how Dratini is fitting in and start some battling to."

"That will be a good way, but don't you dare slack off or I might have to call Delia to give you a repeat of last night." Professor answered cheekily.

Ash stared in Horror at Professor retreating form before going towards Charizard and Mewtwo who were talking and Dratini looking at Mewtwo in Awe.

When Ash was in rage of Charizard, When he heard Mewtwo said

"Ash Primeape his almost hear what do want me to do"

After thinking ash replied to him

"How about you take Suicune with you go into coral while me and my other pokemon greet them."Ash suggested

"That will be convenient"

Mewtwo replied curtly and vanished with taking Suicune with him.

Just as soon as they vanished a knock was heard at the lab front and soon we can see Anthony come up with her daughter towards Coral.

"Hello Anthony, how are you doing" Ash asked them.

Hello Ash we have been doing good. I see you have grown into quite a young man" Anthony replied

As Ash went to greet Rebecca he suddenly went red seeing how much she had grown and started spluttering

"He-llo Re-becca, How are ...you doi-ng?"

"I am doing fine Ash" Rebecca chortled at his reaction.

"Well let me take out Primeape for you now Ash" said a red faced Anthony

In a flash of red a bipedal pokemon with a body of monkey and face of pig with an adrenaline running high materialised in front of the group.

It took a few seconds for the pig monkey pokemon to spot Ash before rushing towards him and giving him a hard punch in the gut and taking his hat and wore it like he previously wore.

"Priiiiime-Ape"

"…"

"…"

Suddenly for the hundred time that day there was a roar of laughter from all of Ash's pokemon who had been informed of Primeape and his antics by his older pokemon so they weren't shocked by his trainer being 'loved' by the pig monkey.

Ash just buried his head more into the ground to hide is pain and embarrassment.

XXXXXXXXX

Ash stood by the side, massaging his head in order to stave off the impending headache. Primeape had been dropped off by Anthony not fifteen minutes ago, and here he was picking up a fight with Charizard. And he could see that even Sceptile seemed to be primed to fight in order to prove his superiority. He just knew that the situation was going to be troublesome.

He moved to tell them to back off when Mewtwo's voice abruptly rang out. "Ash, someone is coming here."

Ash immediately turned his gaze towards the entrance of the Corral. "You know what to do Mewtwo."

Giving an imperceptible nod, Mewtwo's eyes glowed before he along with Suicune vanished from the spot, not even leaving a trace of them ever being there. And it seemed to be timed down to the second as a woman in blue police uniform made way towards the group.

"Good evening, Officer Jenny," Ash made his way towards the now recognized police officer. His attention was momentarily distracted by the figure that was trying to hide behind said officer.

"Good evening to you too Ash," Jenny responded while taking his hand to shake it. "You called to get Squirtle back didn't you?" Seeing his eyes lit up, Jenny smirked. "There is a surprise for you however." Seeing his confused expression, she continued. "I think it would be best if you simply saw it." Not giving any further indication, she stepped aside.

To a sight that made Ash widen his eyes in astonishment. As a matter of fact, several of the Pokémon behind him had a similar expression on their faces.

Standing in front of them was a bipedal, indigo blue Pokémon similar to a turtle. It had brown eyes, a dark blue streak on each cheek, and two sharp teeth protruding from its upper jaw. It had three clawed fingers and pointed toes. Bluish white fur covered its long ears and tail while a brown shell with a pale yellow underside encased its body. Finally a thick, white rim separated the upper and lower halves of the shell. This was Wartortle, the evolved form of Squirtle.

Seeing everyone's flummoxed countenance, Jenny decided to expound, "A few months ago, we were called to subdue a fire in an apartment complex. While initially it looked like we were succeeding, soon the fire at one of the levels went out of control. People were trapped inside so we redirected our attention to that level. However, no matter how much we tried we weren't able to restrain the fire and the Squirtle Squad, except for your Squirtle, were running on fumes."

"They were just about to collapse from exhaustion when Squirtle started glowing. And the next thing I know, he evolves and expels water at such a high rate that the entire complex fire was doused within the next two minutes."

Ash marveled as he crouched down to the level of his fidgeting Pokémon, when Jenny added, "Though he has been skittish and somewhat morose for the entire time. Do you know why?"

Ash gently stroked the Water Type, who leaned into the touch. "He was sad because he did not want to evolve. He had promised my Bulbasaur that he would stay in his base form just like him and now that he has evolved, he has broken his promise he thinks that Bulbasaur will not stay his friend any more. Isn't that right bud?"

"Wartortle" the Pokémon muttered, his head down in what he would have perceived as shame.

Ash was about to console the Pokémon, when something else caught his attention.

It was a bright light.

Everyone turned towards the direction of the light, and were stunned in silence with what they saw. It was the light generated when a Pokémon evolved. However, rather than the evolution generating the silence, it was the Pokémon that had caused such a reaction.

 **A Week Later**

It had been a busy week for Ash training all his Pokemon and studying the book the professor gave him. His Pokemon had grown exponentially stronger than before and have even learned some new moves. Currently we see a battle between the two kantoian starters.

Wartortle VS Ivysaur

"Wartortle use Water Gun!" Ash ordered his water type

Ivysaur Dodge it without even a second thought and retaliated with vine whip

"Dodge it" and with uncanny speed Wartortle dodge it but failed to see the attack behind the vine whip and was hit by leach seed which started to drain his energy at an exponential rate.

"Wartortle counter it with bubble beam on the ground" Ash bellowed to the turtle pokemon.

"And follow it with Water Gun"

What happened next could only be a high pressured water from Wartortle hit the Seed Pokemon that just took the attack head on and was pushed back.

The match came to halt at that time by the voice of the Dexter

"Wartortle has just learned Hydro Pump"

"Congratulations Wartortle you have just learned Hydro Pump" Ash Praised its water starter.

"Nice reflexes Ivysaur" patting his head.

"Saur-Ivy" Ivysaur replied with a grin on his face

After the evolution of Ivysaur, who had explained Ash with help of Mewtwo (who was now an unofficial translator of the group and was getting pretty annoyed by it) that he was planning on evolving with squirtle as he had already reached his limit in this form. So in support of Wartortle he evolved.

Suddenly broken of his thought by rustling of bushes Ash looks up to see a very familiar looking Pokemon coming out of the bushes.

"A Riolu, what is it doing here?" Ash mused to himself. But his eye caught the condition the pokemon and saw that he also had many cuts and bruises on it.

Ash rushed towards it caught it just in time as it fainted.

"Mewtwo" Ash shouted in panic and in instant he Mewtwo materialized in front of him. Before Mewtwo can even Ask what's wrong Ash commanded him.

" Mewtwo teleport me and all of my Pokemon to the ranch and set up a perimeter there for any Pokemon hunter. Hide yourself And Suicune somewhere Safe and establish a Mental Link with Me. I need to get to the lab to heal this Riolu. I believe it's the same Hunter as that of hunting Suicune and I will notify Officer Jenny as soon as possible."

Mewtwo instantly did as he was told. There was a bright light and all the Pokemon with Ash disappeared.

 _ **Oak's Corral**_

As professor Oak was checking on the condition of other trainer's pokemon. He was interrupted by a loud voice of Ash Ketchum.

"Professor Oak! I need your help"

Oak who was just about to done with his work was about to shout at ash for disturbing him saw an injured Pokemon in his hand and ran towards him.

"What happened to him Ash?" The professor asked the teen rethrotically.

"I found him in the clearing Professor Oak. I believe it's the poacher who was trying to hunt Suicune." Ash said the professor in such a voice that sent shivers down his spine. Never had he heard him use such tone not even when he was pissed by Gary.

"I'll heal him Ash. How about you go and contact Office Jenny?"Oak told Ash

 **XXXXXX**

After contacting Officer Jenny who had promised to set up a perimeter near the clearing as soon as possible and to look for the poacher, he rushes towards the medical wing of the lab to check up on Riolu , only to be stopped by Tracy.

"Ash wait, Professor is still operating on Riolu. You can't go there as chances of him catching Infection are high."

Ash reluctantly stopped and waited outside impatiently. After approx 30 min the door opened to revealed face of Professor Oak.

"Professor how is he?" asked Ash.

"He is no longer in danger, Ash" at that Ash released a heavy breath he was holding.

"But I have a bad news, while I was testing Riolu I found his aura level just sufficient to in all living beings to live."

"What does that mean Professor?" Ash asked stiffly.

"It means that I am afraid Riolu might never be able to use his Aura again." Ash looked downright nervous.

"And I am afraid we don't have any known way of healing or bringing it back to him" The professor finished sadly.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile in Sinnoh)

We find an attractive looking and the youngest champion up to date waking up to her grandmother's shouting.

"Wake up Cynthia." Carolina shouts.

"I am awake, Grandma. I have some exiting news for you." The grey-eyed teenager replied to her Grandma.

"I have some exiting news for you." Caroline shouts from downstairs and immediately finds herself face to face with mope of blond hair.

"What is it? Is it new ruin? Something related to research?" Cynthia started asking rapidly.

Her grandmother just laughed at her antics and grinned

"Calm down Cynthia I am telling you. It's interesting than all of the above."

"Then what is it? Don't keep me waiting Grandma." The Champion Whined like someone was eating Ice Cream in front of her and not sharing it with her.

"Fine. Someone has won the Battle frontier and word among the researchers is that his next target is Sinnoh league."

Cynthia eye got large comically and she let loose a smile of such delight that the world shone brighter.

"What's his name Grandma. I have known right now."

"Well his name is ..."

 **A/N :-**

 **And so I am back the chapter is now completed. Sorry for taking so long. Got busy in some work and exams had come up so couldn't update. This chapter was supposed to be a bit near 5k words but I ended it early because it was breaking flow with next chapter.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews and follows. I still need a beta reader for the story.**

 **Do read Legend By Dark Lord Slythirin its Literally Legendary.**

 **Constructive Criticism is Appreciated**

 **Cyo!**


	7. AN

Hello,

It's been quite a while hasn't it since my last update. I am sorry for being gone for an year

There are several reasons why I didn't write or upload cause honestly I found myself lost in life what to do in my career.

Last year had its ups and down. That being said I am still not gonna upload for another month or so cause no matter what the circumstances we still have College and it's kinda hard to keep track of life

Now I am rambling.

That being said there are gonna be some changes now

I am gonna republish all the chapters in there original format. Ofcourse there are gonna be changes in the storyline. We do want Cynthia to come early. Don't expect that before May but

I have been going through More Rayshipping (AshxCynthia) Fictions and I have found a pattern.

Many of the best stories have been abandoned or left so there I might take them up and write where I think the author is going but it is still an idea that I had today. Got some plans for different Stories expect Pokemon bit This one is No.1 PRIORITY.

Sorry for an being absent and thanks for following me.

Be home Be safe and keep your loved ones close cause this epidemic is serious and you have responsibility towards your family.

Signing Out

MaxSlayer


End file.
